Philippians 1:9 – Growing Faith

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” (Philippians 1:9)

This is not only a prayer we can pray for ourselves but for other believers in our community. As Christ-followers, it’s common to pray for each other. I have so many fond memories of praying for others and being prayed over.

Context (Philippians 1:3-11): Paul opens his letter with a beautiful prayer for the believers in Philippi. You can tell that Paul has a special relationship with his audience and cares deeply for their faith journey. Our memory verse is part of that prayer, and we can claim it for ourselves. There are so many profound parts of this prayer. Be sure to read the whole thing and be blessed as if Paul were praying just for you.

Paul thought it helpful that our love overflows. When we remember how much God loves us, it’s easier to love him in return. God doesn’t just love us. He loves the whole world. That realization can help us love others more deeply than we would normally. When we look at the population through God’s eyes, we see people in a whole new light. I often pray that God give me his eyes to see those brokenhearted, those trying not to be seen.

Imagine if every Christ follower loved to the point of overflowing! What a powerful vision of how we could change the world. I think of the lyrics to an “oldie” folk song. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Christians should be known for their love, don’t you think?

The other part of this portion of the prayer calls for our continued spiritual growth. Good friends desire that for each other. When we draw closer to God, trusting him with our lives, the hard times aren’t so difficult.

Paul knew we’d need to grow in our knowledge of the LORD as stepping stones in our faith journey. Besides knowledge, we need to understand what we are learning. The lessons we can learn from the Bible can be hard to grasp, especially on our own.

The Holy Spirit meets us in these moments of uncertainty, as we seek knowledge. Discernment, like athletic ability or getting straight A’s in school, doesn’t happen naturally for us. Rather, it’s a spiritual ability that comes from being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14 explains it like this: “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” Some people call it having “spiritual eyes” because we can see Biblical truth more clearly. God reveals himself in the pages of Scripture. Those who are “prepared” by the Holy Spirit gain that understanding Paul prays for.

Have you ever had an experience reading the Bible when you felt like you were reading something for the first time? That’s an example of Paul’s prayer being answered. He wants us to understand and knows it’s possible when we continue to grow spiritually. God doesn’t reveal himself all at once. We couldn’t handle that much truth at first.

Any time we read from God’s word, it’s good practice to stop and reflect on what you just read. What was your takeaway? Did you learn something knew? Ask, how was God moving in this passage? With our eyes and hearts open, the Spirit can give us more understanding.

This prayer could have added, “Lord, open our spiritual eyes to help us grow closer to you by understanding you in new ways.” How did Paul’s prayer impress upon you and how you relate to others and to the Bible? Does this prayer resonate with you and your community of believers, too?

Let’s pray. Lord, I am so grateful I can come to you, talk to you, ask you things, and spend time in your word. Reveal to me the truth you want me to glean today. Draw me closer to you, LORD, teach me your ways. May my eyes and heart be ready to receive your message and take it to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.