‘For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives…’ Colossians 1:9 (NIV).
Prayer is only possible because of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Were it not for Jesus dying on the cross, our prayers would, at best, be ignored and, at worst, arrive before the Father Almighty as a filthy stench, arriving from those who were rebels against him (Isaiah 64:6). That is who we are by nature: we’ve all sinned and, therefore, are born enemies of God (Romans 3:23). Our attempts at prayer, without the blood of Jesus, only serve to distance ourselves from God rather than draw us near to him.
But when Jesus came and sought us—which he did from the very beginning, immediately after Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:15), right up to his coming in the flesh as a human and then dying on the cross—God’s thoughts toward us, in considering us his enemies, were all channelled toward Jesus on the cross instead of us (Isaiah 53:5). So there is no more enmity from God toward us, only pleasantness, joy, and acceptance (Romans 5:1). For not only was the wrath we deserved placed on Jesus instead of us, but the righteousness we failed to perform was lived out by the Lord Jesus and credited to us; it is ours by warrant of our union with him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
We must all put our trust in this Jesus Christ, who not only was crucified but also rose again. His resurrection will be ours too one day (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). Soon, we too will rise from our graves to live forever in a restored and remade universe (Revelation 21:1-4). Trust in Jesus and repent of your sins, and you can have the privilege that Paul knew of asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives (see text above)—the same Holy Spirit who indwelled Jesus will indwell you and fill you (Romans 8:11).
