We read yesterday that Paul was asking the people in Colossae to be devoted in prayer. His next two sentences give them a sample of praying.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

As we read this, Paul has two things that he would like his friends to ask God about.

One is that Paul and those with him will have opportunities to talk about the story of Jesus. As Paul points out, he is in jail because of telling this story. When he talks about wanting an open door, I see a wry smile. He wants another opportunity to do what closes doors. But he so believes his message that he’s willing to have a revolving door on his jail cell if it means he can preach every time he goes by the opening.

Of course, for Paul, this talking is going to happen even in the chains. He’ll be chained to a guard from time to time. Paul was convinced that he was the free one and the guard was the one chained spiritually to sin and physically to the one who proclaimed freedom.

Second, Paul asks his friends to ask God for clarity. A captive audience is of no value when the speaker cannot use simple language, effective images, thoughtful conversation. And an experienced preacher like Paul knew that every audience, every conversation, has new constraints on clarity.

Paul doesn’t ask to get out of jail. He doesn’t ask for financial support, a parking place, good weather, a good night’s sleep. Not that those are wrong requests. But Paul is clearly focused on his mission.