Honestly, our prayer life is usually characterized as being trite and rote, superficial and self-serving. Unless we are praying for food, we tend to focus on issues of health and finances. And yes, while it is appropriate that we pray about such things, there is so much more to be in prayer about.
In taking us to Ephesians this past Sunday, Pastor Michael Krause highlighted three prayers of Paul as examples of more eternal content and concerns.
"...while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." Ephesians 1:16b-19a
Paul's request of God was for...a spirit of wisdom...a mind that was engulfed with a knowledge of Him...a heart that is open and enlightened...all so that we may know of the exceeding greatness of His power. He prayed for the heart and soul and mind of his readers, all so that they would be pointed to the strength of HIM! In short, Paul's prayer echoes back to Deuteronomy, that we would know and love the Lord our God "with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might."
In this opening chapter of Ephesians, Paul's prayer breaks into an incredible proclamation of praise of the supremacy of Christ! Later in chapter 3, we read another prayer.
"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19
Paul prays for the impossible! Paul prays that we may have Christ in our hearts, be strengthened of soul through His Spirit, and that our minds might "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge."
How can we possibly know that which surpasses knowledge?! And yet that is the content of this prayer, that we not only know God, but know His character as well as that of His Son and His Spirit.
In the closing chapter of Ephesians, Paul models a constant communication with our God! Notice the use of the word "all."
"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:18-20
We may have to be reminded that Paul is penning this letter from prison! Paul does NOT pray to be rescued or for safety or physical comfort. Rather he prays for boldness in making known the mystery of the gospel and to proclaim it, "as he ought to speak." He understands that though in chains, he is exactly where God wants him to be, thus he prays from the heart that God's will be done!
So what about our own prayer life? Yes, God is concerned about all of the details of our lives, but should that be the part and parcel of our communication with Him? Ought we speak with Him of grander and bigger things? Ought we pray for the impossible, that we may know that which surpasses all understanding? Let us pray with our heart and soul and mind and strength.
"...to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:21
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