Three Keys To A Better Prayer Life Series

Dietrich Bonhoffer was a leader in the church of Germany at the

time of Hitler's rise to power. He opposed Hitler and was imprisoned

in 1943. He did not cease to influence people, however, even in prison.

He inspired others by his courage. The guards were supposed to be his

enemies, but they so respected him that they smuggled out his writings

that have influenced millions since.

One of the men who was in prison with Bonhoffer was the English officer

Payne Best. He survived the war and wrote this account in a

book. I want to share it with you because it represents the kind of

example of Christlikeness that we see in the Apostle Paul, who wrote

the letter of Colossians from his prison cell in Rome. Best wrote-

"Bonhoffer-was all humility and sweetness, he always seemed to me to

diffuse an atmosphere of happiness, of joy in every smallest event in

life--He was one of the very few men I have ever met to whom his God

was real and close to him." Then after Best describes a service that

Bonhoffer held for the prisoners on Sunday, April 8, 1945 he wrote,

"He had hardly finished his last prayer when the door opened and two

evil looking men in civilian clothes came in ;and said 'prisoner

Bonhoffer, get ready to come with us.' Those words, come with us-for

all the prisoners they had come to mean one thing only--the scaffold.

We bade him good-bye-he drew me aside-this is the end, he said. For

me the beginning of life. Next day, at Flossenburg, he was hanged."

This courageous optimism in the most negative of circumstances is

one of the characteristics we see in the Apostle Paul. In his prison

epistles we do not hear any whining or complaining, but only words of

joy and thanksgiving. Paul had indeed learned to be content in every

state of life. He too faced death at any time, yet he wanted to use his

time to write and encourage others. His negative experience has led to

positive results in the lives of millions through history.

George Jackson, in a tribute to Robertson Nicole, the editor of the

British Weekly said, "He flung down a bunch of keys for me, and has

set me to opening doors for myself on every side of me." This is what

Paul has done for the Colossians and for the whole church of Christ.

He has thrown down a bunch of keys that enable us to open doors to

God's best on every side. As we focus on v.3, we can see that Paul has

given us three keys to a better prayer life. The first key is-

I. THE PARTNERSHIP OF PRAYER.

Notice Paul says, "We always thank God." He does not say I thank

God, but he included his partner Timothy. The idea of a prayer

partner is very Biblical. Jesus said prayer is more powerful when two

agree on what they desire from God. In Matt. 18:19-20 we read,

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you

ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two

or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

It seems as if God has designed prayer to be a promoter of unity,

fellowship and brotherhood. He has promised to answer more

effectively those prayers that come from a partnership. This is a key

to a better prayer life, but it is often neglected. We have potential

power in prayer that we seldom use. Cabeza deVaca tells of how he

and his companion explorer went from Florida to the Pacific between

1528-1536. On one occasion they were lost and starving and in a state

of despair when they were found by Indians. The Indians felt that since

they were white men they should have the power to heal some of their

sick. They were miserable themselves and now they were expected to

heal others or die. He wrote, "We prayer for strength. We prayed on

bended knees and in agony of hunger." Then they blessed the sick

Indians, and to their amazement the ailing redmen said they were

made well. DeVaca wrote, Being Europeans, we thought we had given

away to doctors and priests our ability to heal. But here it was, still in

our possession. It was ours after all; we were more than we thought we

were."

The fact is, all of us are more than we think we are. If we form

partnerships in prayer we will have a key that will open many doors

that otherwise might never open. When Jesus taught the disciples to

pray, He made it clear he expected them to pray in partnership. He