Paul’s Pattern for Prayer June 9th, 2024
As we pray for the Holy Spirit to open God’s word for us let’s use the words from the Apostle Paul’s prayer which we will be studying this morning. Let us pray:
“God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,” may you give to us “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him,” so that “the eyes of our heart may be opened, and we might know what is the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Amen
As we continue our study of the book of Ephesians this morning, the Apostle Paul is going to give us a lesson on how to pray properly. And to do so he is going to show us how to pray by demonstrating how he prays. If we were to summarize Paul’s message, it would be like this: God wants us to pray so we’ll grow to know him better.
In many churches, including ours, the prayers that the worship leader and the congregation offer are primarily made up of concerns: prayers for healing, safety, comfort, changes in the world, et cetera. And there isn’t anything wrong with that as God wants us to reach out to him in our trials, but Paul wants to remind followers of Jesus that they also have a duty to give thanks for the faith and love that both God and their fellow Christians have shown them. We’re not only to pray prayers of intercession, but every bit as important are our prayers of thanksgiving.
This is Paul’s introduction to his prayer, “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Here Paul gives thanks to God for the Ephesian church because there are genuine saints there. And when Paul calls them “saints” he means anyone who has come to believe in Jesus Christ, not just those who have done something special in the life of the Church.
What Paul knows is that the lives of the members of the Ephesian church bear witness to the genuine trust which they have in Jesus Christ. This is because they have faith in the Lord Jesus, and they have a love for the other members of the church. Loving God and loving others are the marks of the true Christian. What Paul has recently heard concerning the Ephesian church convinces him that there are sincere believers there. Since God has provided for the blessing of true believers, and since the Ephesian saints are true believers, Paul prays on their behalf.
Paul has heard some news about the Ephesians that makes him believe that Christ is working in their church. He has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus, and he has heard of their love for all the saints. One of the signs of a true Christian is that they love other Christians. And why is that a sign? Because Christians, like all humans, can be rather unlovable. God didn’t choose the most loveable people to be his. God didn’t choose us because of any good quality that we possess. He selected us of his own free will, unbound by any conditions. And when you come to Christ through a heart of faith and repentance and when you recognize how much God has loved you, then your response is to begin to love other Christians.
Faith and love are always meant to go together. Paul confirmed this when he wrote, “Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people.” (Colossians 1:4) And faith and love are not meant to be dormant, they are to be growing all the time. Paul wrote these words in his second letter to the Thessalonian Church, “Your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.” (2nd Thessalonians 1:3)
Paul then begins his prayer by saying, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power..”
In this passage, Paul is expressing his desire for the Ephesians to gain a deep understanding of God’s character and will. The “spirit of wisdom and revelation” is not referring to the Holy Spirit received when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, but rather to an increased level of understanding and awareness which allows believers to know God more intimately. This wisdom and revelation are about knowing the divine mysteries and recognizing the hope and rich inheritance that comes with being a follower of Christ.
This is a prayer for spiritual growth and deeper knowledge of God’s nature and his calling. Paul’s words are a plea for the eyes of the heart to be opened, so believers can see and understand the fullness of God’s promises and the power of his might, the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Now of course, our heart doesn’t have eyes, but what Paul is praying for is the ability to perceive and understand things not with physical eyes, but with inner wisdom and insight. He’s asking for God to give us a deeper level of emotional and spiritual awareness, allowing us to see truths that are not visible to the naked eye.
This understanding is crucial for spiritual maturity, in the same way that a child grows and learns to comprehend the world more fully as they mature. Paul’s message is timeless, encouraging all believers to continually seek greater wisdom and revelation in their journey of faith through prayer.
The Apostle Paul is praying that the Holy Spirit would impart to us “wisdom” and “revelation” concerning “the knowledge of him”—that is, the knowledge of God. In order to grow in our relationship with God, we need wisdom and revelation. And we get wisdom and revelation from the Spirit. Paul is asking the Ephesians if they are growing in their faith, is God taking them somewhere deeper? Notice how he prays for them: that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Part of the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives is to reveal to them ever more deeply who God is. Paul’s longing is that in their spiritual growth, they will grasp more and more the wonder and the beauty and the mystery of who God is.
As God’s people, we have an overwhelming longing to know God. Martin Lloyd-Jones, who was a minister in London during the middle of the twentieth century, and preached over 200 sermons on Ephesians, was right when he said, “Our supreme need is to know God.” We should pray this prayer for ourselves and for others: “Lord, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so we know you better.”
Paul then concludes his prayer with these words, “God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Here Paul speaks of the immense power and authority bestowed upon Jesus. In these verses, Paul emphasizes the supremacy of Christ, who has been raised from the dead and exalted to a position of honour and authority by God. He places Jesus above all other powers and authorities, not just in the present world, but also in the one to come.
Although the Christian Church is in a time of change in North America, it can also be a time of renewal, refining each and everyone of us. The portrayal of Christ being seated at God’s right hand signifies a place of special honour and power. Furthermore, Paul indicates that Christ’s dominion extends over all things for the benefit of the church, which he describes as the body of Christ. This image demonstrates the connection of the church with Christ, teaching us that the church is made complete and filled by Christ’s presence and power. This should be a message of hope and encouragement for us, confirming that we are part of a powerful and blessed community under Christ’s leadership.
And when Paul says, “And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”, it is his first actual mention of the church. The church today is the body of Jesus here on earth. And it is to grow and develop as a healthy body. It is to do the work of ministry under the leadership of the head, Jesus Christ. He has sent his church into the world to make disciples of all the nations. That is what the church is. And our responsibility is to be the church, not just to attend one. But we can only do that as we are connected to the head – Jesus Christ. Prayer is a very important part of that connection and God will meet us there in our gratitude and in our pain.
In summary, there are two primary reasons for Paul’s persistence in praying for the church in Ephesus. One, Paul gives thanks to God because he has chosen all who are members of his church, and secondly he presents his requests before God because God is sovereignly working in and through his church. God gives life to the church, directs its growth, and controls its destiny. And so, Paul prays to God on behalf of the church.
Paul’s prayer is a wonderful message for Christians of every age. There is always more of God than we know or could imagine. What we thought we had learned about faith and the love of God comes home to us with more power as we move through the joys and struggles of our lives. Paul speaks to people of faith sharing with them that the depth of a meaningful relationship with God is a blessing that remains with them throughout their lives. This is indeed wonderful news.
We should pray and seek to be closer to God. When we come to God in prayer we should first and foremost come to know the Father in a deeper way. J.I. Packer, a Canadian theologian, said, “The aim of prayer is not to force God’s hand or make him do our will against his own, but to deepen our knowledge of him and our fellowship with him through contemplating his glory, confessing our dependence and need, and consciously embracing his goals.”
When we pray, we need to confess our dependence upon Almighty God. No matter who you are, there are things in your life that eat away at your soul. You know in your heart that these things are building a wall between you and a deeper walk with God. You are discouraged. You wish you could do something to ease your predicament, but you seem powerless to do so. Paul’s map for praying shows us how to lower that wall by asking for forgiveness and God’s help through Jesus, by loving God and others.
God wants us to know in our hearts that we are completely dependent upon him for everything – the air we breath, our ability to get out of bed in the morning, the continued blessing of our relationships, our material possessions, and the ability to make a living, and most importantly, our salvation. Jesus said in John’s Gospel, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5 NIV)
It takes unceasing prayer and thanksgiving to understand the difference between the kingdom of Jesus and the kingdoms of this world. But the prayers of Christ’s church will continue to be that “with our eyes enlightened, we may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints.” Let us humbly ask God to open the eyes of our hearts so that we know the extraordinary greatness of his power in our lives.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing you, a spirit that begins as the Holy Spirit works within us, granting us better understanding of your wishes for us. May we have a deeper awareness of your nearness. Open our eyes to see you in the beauty of creation, and our hearts to feel your loving embrace in every moment. Help us see that you are with us always, guiding and comforting us. And in knowing this, may we become better equipped to carry out your mission in this world. Amen