How God's Power Sustains You in Every Trial | Colossians 1:9-11

How God's Power Sustains You in Every Trial | Colossians 1:9-11

By Pastor Autry Watkins IV | Transformation Church | November 24, 2025

We live in a world obsessed with strength. Our culture worships power—whether it's financial power, physical power, political power, or the psychological power of self-actualization. We're told constantly to "find our inner strength," to "be resilient," to "power through" whatever difficulties we face. But what happens when your strength runs out? What do you do when the cancer diagnosis comes, when the marriage crumbles, when the depression won't lift, when the prodigal child won't return? What happens when you've exhausted every resource, followed every self-help strategy, and still find yourself crushed under the weight of life in a fallen world? This is precisely where Paul takes us in Colossians 1:9-11. In these three verses, we discover a prayer that demolishes our self-reliant delusions and opens our eyes to something infinitely better: the glorious might of God Himself working in us, sustaining us, empowering us for a kind of endurance that this world cannot produce and cannot understand. This isn't positive thinking dressed in religious language. This is the real power that transforms weak, broken sinners into joyful sufferers who glorify God in the darkest valleys.

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The Foundation: Knowledge That Leads to Life

Paul begins his prayer with a specific request: "that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9). Notice what Paul doesn't pray for. He doesn't pray for their comfort, their health, their financial security, or the removal of their troubles. He prays for knowledge—but not just any knowledge. This is "the knowledge of his will," knowledge that comes with "spiritual wisdom and understanding." This is the language of deep, experiential, transformative knowledge of God. The Greek word Paul uses here for "knowledge" (epignosis) implies a full, complete, experiential understanding—not merely intellectual assent to propositions, but knowledge that grips the whole person and changes everything. Why does Paul start here? Because everything else in the Christian life flows from this fountain. We cannot walk worthy of the Lord (verse 10) if we don't know the Lord. We cannot please Him if we don't understand what pleases Him. We cannot bear fruit if we're disconnected from the life-giving knowledge of God's will. Jesus Himself said, "This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Knowledge of God isn't a preliminary step before we get to the real Christian life—it is the Christian life. But here's where we must be careful. Paul isn't praying for academic theology divorced from life. He's praying for "spiritual wisdom and understanding"—knowledge illuminated by the Spirit, applied to real life, worked out in the nitty-gritty details of following Christ in a hostile world. This is theology that makes you weep over your sin and rejoice in your Savior. This is doctrine that transforms your marriage, your workplace, your secret thought life. The Puritans used to distinguish between "notional" knowledge and "experiential" knowledge. You can have notional knowledge of God and still be dead in your sins. But experiential knowledge—the kind Paul prays for here—this changes everything. It's the difference between knowing about a fire and being warmed by it.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. — Colossians 1:9

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. — John 17:3

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. — 2 Peter 1:3

The Purpose: Walking Worthy and Bearing Fruit

Paul's prayer continues with purpose: "so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10). Here's the crucial connection: knowledge of God's will leads to a life worthy of Him. This is no abstract theology. This is theology with legs, theology that walks, theology that produces visible fruit in the world. The phrase "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord" should stop us in our tracks. How does one walk worthy of the infinite, holy, transcendent God who spoke galaxies into existence? How can finite, sinful creatures live in a way that's "worthy" of Him? The answer, of course, is that we can't—not in our own strength. But notice Paul isn't calling us to manufacture worthiness; he's calling us to walk in accordance with the worthiness we've already been given in Christ. We don't live worthy to become His children; we live worthy because we are His children. This is the gospel rhythm: identity precedes activity, indicative precedes imperative, grace precedes obedience. The fruit Paul describes isn't generic religious activity. He specifies: "bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Notice the beautiful circularity here. Knowledge of God leads to good works, and good works lead to deeper knowledge of God. As we obey what we know, we come to know more. As we apply Scripture to real situations, we understand Scripture more deeply. This is why Christians who isolate theology from life end up with dead orthodoxy, and why Christians who pursue good works without theological grounding end up with moralistic exhaustion. We need both—and Paul's prayer shows us they're inseparable. Jesus put it this way: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The fruit doesn't come from our striving but from our abiding. We don't manufacture spiritual fruit through discipline and willpower alone; we receive it as we remain connected to Christ, the true vine. This completely reorients how we think about Christian growth. It's not about working harder but about staying connected, remaining in Him, drawing life from His inexhaustible resources.

So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. — Colossians 1:10

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. — John 15:5

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23

The Power: Strengthened by His Glorious Might

Now we reach the heart of Paul's prayer, and it's breathtaking: "being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might" (Colossians 1:11a). Look at the language Paul piles up here: strengthened, all power, glorious might. This isn't the vocabulary of modest improvement or incremental progress. This is the language of divine omnipotence turned toward the saint's sanctification. The same power that spoke creation into existence, that parted the Red Sea, that raised Jesus from the dead—this power is available to you, believer, for your Christian walk. But notice what Paul prays this power will accomplish. We might expect him to say we're strengthened for victory, for triumph, for overcoming all obstacles. Instead, he says we're strengthened "for all endurance and patience with joy" (Colossians 1:11b). Wait—God's glorious might is given to us for... endurance? For patience? This doesn't match our cultural expectations. We want power for conquest; God gives power for endurance. We want strength to escape trials; God gives strength to endure trials with joy. This is radically countercultural, and it's radically liberating. The Greek word for endurance (hypomonē) means to remain under, to bear up under pressure without collapsing. It's not passive resignation but active, courageous perseverance in the face of difficulty. And it's paired with patience (makrothymia)—longsuffering toward people and circumstances. But here's the stunning addition: "with joy." This isn't grit-your-teeth endurance. This isn't white-knuckled survival. This is joyful endurance, supernatural patience that actually rejoices in tribulation because it knows something the world doesn't know. Paul himself modeled this. He wrote to the Philippians from prison: "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:11-13). That famous verse about doing "all things" isn't about achieving our dreams or accomplishing great feats; it's about being content in Christ regardless of circumstances. It's about endurance. It's about patience. It's about joy that circumstances cannot touch because it's rooted in something deeper than circumstances—it's rooted in union with Christ and the hope of glory.

Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. — Colossians 1:11

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. — Philippians 4:11-13

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. — Romans 5:3-5

But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9

The Gospel Foundation: Christ's Work Makes It Possible

We must understand that everything in this prayer is possible only because of the gospel. Paul ends this section (in verse 12) by reminding us that God "has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." We don't qualify ourselves for this strengthening power; God qualifies us through Christ. We don't earn the right to draw on His glorious might; He grants it to us as an inheritance purchased by the blood of His Son. Think about what Christ accomplished for us. On the cross, Jesus endured what we could never endure—the full weight of God's wrath against sin. He was patient when we were impatient, faithful when we were faithless, obedient when we were rebellious. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. And now, united to Him by faith, His perfect record becomes ours. His righteousness is credited to our account. His Spirit indwells us. His power flows through us. This is why Christianity is fundamentally different from every other religion and every self-help philosophy. Other systems say, "Try harder, be better, find your inner strength." The gospel says, "You're spiritually dead and completely helpless—but Christ has done everything necessary, and now He offers you His own strength as a free gift." This doesn't produce laziness; it produces liberation. When you know that your standing before God depends entirely on Christ's work, not yours, you're free to pursue holiness from a place of security rather than anxiety, from love rather than fear, from gratitude rather than guilt. The Puritan John Owen wrote, "The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to him, is not to believe that he loves you." When we fail to trust in the sufficiency of Christ's work, when we try to supplement the gospel with our own effort and strength, we're essentially telling God that Jesus wasn't enough. But when we rest in Christ's finished work and draw on His power rather than our own, we honor the Father, glorify the Son, and experience the Spirit's transforming work in our lives. This is the only path to the kind of joyful endurance Paul describes—endurance rooted not in our strength but in His glorious might.

Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. — Colossians 1:12

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. — Hebrews 10:14

Application

So how does this truth reshape our lives today? First, we must honestly assess where we're looking for strength. Are you depending on your own resources—your intelligence, your willpower, your carefully constructed plans? Or are you daily acknowledging your weakness and asking God to strengthen you according to His glorious might? There's a profound difference between asking God to bless your strength and asking Him to be your strength. Second, we need to recalibrate our expectations about what Christian maturity looks like. If you've been measuring your spiritual growth by how easily life goes, how quickly prayers are answered, or how triumphantly you overcome obstacles, you've been using the wrong metrics. Spiritual maturity might look more like endurance in a difficult marriage, patience with a challenging coworker, or joy maintained through chronic illness. These aren't less spiritual than dramatic victories—they're often more spiritual because they require sustained dependence on God's power rather than our own. Third, make Paul's prayer your own. Pray Colossians 1:9-11 for yourself, for your family, for your church. Pray that God would fill you with knowledge of His will. Pray that you would walk worthy of Him. Pray especially that you would be strengthened by His glorious might for endurance, patience, and joy. This is a prayer God loves to answer because it aligns perfectly with His purposes for your sanctification. Here are some questions for self-examination: Am I pursuing knowledge of God as my highest priority, or am I content with spiritual superficiality? When trials come, is my first instinct to escape them or to ask how God might use them to deepen my endurance and increase my joy? Do I truly believe that God's power is made perfect in my weakness, or am I still trying to impress Him (and others) with my strength? What would it look like in my specific circumstances today to draw on His glorious might rather than my own depleted resources? Am I bearing fruit through abiding in Christ, or am I burning out through self-reliant striving?

Dear Christian, you were never meant to live the Christian life in your own strength. The God who saved you by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone also sanctifies you the same way—by grace, through faith, in Christ. His glorious might is available to you not as a reward for your performance but as a gift secured by Jesus' perfect performance. When you feel weak, remember: that's exactly where God's power shows up most clearly. When you're tempted to give up, remember: you're being strengthened for endurance by the same power that raised Christ from the dead. When circumstances crush your joy, remember: God's purpose isn't to remove every trial but to sustain you through every trial with supernatural joy that testifies to a world desperate for hope. Rest in Him. Draw from His inexhaustible resources. Walk worthy not in your strength but in His glorious might. This is the Christian life—and it's more beautiful, more powerful, and more satisfying than anything this world can offer.

For Further Reflection

How does Paul's focus on knowledge of God's will challenge or correct your current approach to spiritual growth? What practical steps can you take to prioritize this kind of deep, experiential knowledge?

In what area of your life are you currently trying to operate in your own strength rather than depending on God's glorious might? What would it look like to surrender that area to Him?

Paul prays for endurance and patience "with joy." How does this reshape your understanding of what it means to be spiritually mature? Can you identify examples of joyful endurance in your own life or in the lives of believers you know?

How does the gospel—specifically Christ's substitutionary work on your behalf—free you from performance-based Christianity and enable you to pursue holiness from a place of security rather than anxiety?

What's one specific, actionable way you can apply this passage this week? Who in your life needs to hear about the power available to them through Christ, and how will you share it with them?