Last Thursday night kicked off a small group Bible study in our home. I volunteered to lead if I got to choose the book. Colossians it is. 

I opened with “If you could only have two chapters out of the Bible, which ones would you keep?” None of them had ever been asked that before. Favorite verses, yes. Favorite books, of course. But favorite chapters?

I went the chapter route because if I could keep two chapters only, one of them would be Colossians 1 (the other being Acts 17). I wanted an easy answer for myself. Leading has its privileges.

We didn’t make it to the main reason Colossians 1 would be in my deserted-island duffle bag. I’ll leave verses 15-23 for another 2-Minute Multiplier.

We unpacked instead Paul’s prayer for these Christians he had never met. The request that grabbed me? “…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will…” (Colossians 1.9) 

Which implies I can have the Holy Spirit but still not be in tune with what God wants me to do.

My “Knowledge of His Will” gauge sits near empty much of the time due more to my speed than the Spirit’s absence. I have plenty of the Spirit. He’s not dolled out in bite-size Holy Spirit snacks. He’s all in. (Read Romans 6 for how this happens in baptism. That chapter was a close runner-up.)

 The problem is I tend to travel solo. Too proud to rely on others. A poster child of the stereotypical husband who would rather be lost than stop and ask.

The Spirit of Jesus is always with me and in me. But I’ve never realized it. Or ignored it. Or likely think such a Spirit only wakes up on Sundays or during other dedicated times of spirituality. Whatever that means.

Asking God to fill me with the knowledge of His will. That’s a prayer I need people to pray for me. That’s a prayer I need to pray for myself. 

It’s also a prayer I should pray for my kids. My spouse. People I’ve never met but I know are going through a difficult time.

It probably means I need to stop and do more asking.