ISB ~ Colossians 4 v2

prayer:Paul promotes prayer that is vigilant and thankful. He wants readers to seek every grace necessary to withstand temptation and to express gratitude to God for every spiritual and material blessing we have received. The more we recognize both our needs and our blessings, the more frequently we will approach the Lord on our knees (Lk 18:1; 1 Thess 5:17).

• Paul knows that continuance in prayer can make us restless, so he tells us to be “watchful”, that is, to be sober and avoid wandering. For the devil knows the power of a good prayer, and thus he presses heavily upon us when we pray. Paul is also aware how careless many can be at prayer, and so he says “continue” in prayer to remind us that it is hard work (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Colossians 10).