"2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."
Colossians 4:2-6
Notice first of all the attitude that Paul urges for the believer's prayers (v 2); 'continue steadfastly/devote yourselves... (this is a command, an imperative) ...being watchful and thankful'. Paul regularly, in nearly every one of his letters, exhorts the believer to pray: 'be faithful in prayer' (Romans 12:12); ...pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests...be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18); pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17); I urge then... that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone (1 Timothy 2:1). For Paul, intercessory, petitionary prayer was the outworking of the life of Christ in the believer. Yet, the fact that he has to urge persistence in the practice of prayer implies, along with all else in the spiritual life, that it must be approached with resolve and determination. The Christian does not pray because he feels like it. If we waited until we felt like praying we would rarely pray, perhaps only in a crisis. Prayer is our privilege and it is our duty and we must persevere. We must, like the friend at midnight (Luke 11) who kept on knocking, set our minds and our wills and refuse to give up. We must, like the persistent widow (Luke 18) who demanded justice of the judge, be resolved never to grow weary. The idea of watching in prayer is that the sleep and the ease of darkness have been renounced and the mind engaged attentively and actively. How practical Paul is when it is so easy to grow sleepy in prayer. There is no place here for humdrum, lethargic praying. For Paul, prayer is not some quiet reverie. The REB translates the Pauline injunction here as, 'Persevere in prayer with minds alert and with thankful hearts'. The apostle's exhortation is always a timely reminder! This is to be the attitude of our intercession, 'Beware of growing sleepy!'.