Ephesians 1:15-16, “15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers”
Whenever we talk about prayers, multitudes approach it differently. Most people pray for provisions, protection, and guidance over their lives and their loved ones. I’ve been taking a closer look at how Paul and the other disciples prayed and it amazes me how their prayer priorities are not so much common with us today when we pray. What you pray for the most reveals where you heart is. If blessings is what is more important to you, that is where you will concentrate your prayers.
Now a man like Paul had a style of praying that I find very effective. His desire from looking at his kind of prayer suggest he had in mind Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”. He tells us what the kingdom of God is not and what it is, Romans 14:17-18, “17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit 18, For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by man”. Having established what the kingdom of God is, he could seek God’s kingdom knowing what it entailed; righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Paul desired to know Christ more than anything else. He could pray for others along the same lines.
Paul in his writings mentions the word pray or prayer 44 times, that is how vital it was to him. If Paul depended on prayers, what about us? “There is no man who is bigger than his prayer life”Leonard Ravenhill, but the question is, what do you pray for? Prayer is more than what we desire of God in terms of blessings. “Prayer has everything to do with molding the soul into the image of God, and has everything to do with enhancing and enlarging the measure of divine grace. It has everything to do with bringing the soul into complete communion with God. It has everything to do with enriching, broadening and maturing the soul’s experience with God”, E. M Bound
Looking at Paul’s prayers, you will see that he was not praying to prosper materially, or to be safe from his enemies, or to have a big ministry or any of those things. He encourages the Ephesians to constantly be in prayer and then he gives them his own prayer request, Ephesians 6:18, vs. 18 encouraging the Ephesians to pray always and vs. “19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, vs. 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”. Is this not similar to the prayers of Peter and John in Acts 4:29-30 who prayed, “19 Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy servant Jesus”. They prayed for Spiritual blessings so as to stand for the Lord and fulfill His call in their lives
Listen to Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:15-16, “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” what did he pray for? 1. He asked God to give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (vs. 17). 2. He asked God to open the eyes their understanding and be enlightened so that they would know what is the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (vs. 18) 3. He prayed that they would know the exceeding greatness of His power towards those (us) who believed according to the working of His mighty power (vs. 19). These are some of the things Paul prayed for himself and others. Philippians 3:8-10, “8 …I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death”
What do you treasure the most when you pray? Is that a driving force to cause you to pray for what you treasure? I desire more and more to make Ephesians 1 the desire, passion, and zeal for my prayers as a means to know Christ and attain spiritual blessings. To seek His kingdom first and His righteousness, to be bold in reaching others, the rest will fall in place. Blessings Ev
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