RevJP
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Joined: 18 Apr 2003
Posts: 7005
Location: USA
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 Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:41 am Post subject: How prayer builds up the saints |
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Ephesians 1:17-23 AMP [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, (18) By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), (19) And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, (20) Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], (21) Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. (22) And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], [Ps. 8:6.] (23) Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].
Paul consistently kept a divine perspective in his prayers. First of all, he kept the character of God in the forefront of his thinking. He also recognized those who were thriving spiritually, thanked God for them, and asked the Lord to build up the saints.
In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul made four petitions, which still apply to believers today. First, he asked God to give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they—and we—may know him better. Paul wanted the Holy Spirit to—one—reveal to us the deeper truths of our relationship with Christ—two—to illuminate our minds with understanding, and—three—to give us the wisdom to apply what we learn.
The second request the apostle Paul made was for the saints to be filled with hope. He asked God to give us an understanding of what we have in Christ today… and for eternity. When our minds took hold of these eternal truths, he knew we would overflow with hope.
Thirdly, Paul asked that we would recognize who we have become. He prayed for us to understand that we are a gift from the Father to the Son. Each believer is a part of Jesus’ inheritance and valuable to Him.
Finally, the apostle prayed the saints would experience the Spirit’s supernatural power working in our lives. Paul’s desire is that we would move from mere head knowledge to practical understanding. So, he asked the Lord to make that happen.
Paul recognized that when we deepen our comprehension of God, accept who we are in Christ, and encounter the indwelling Spirit’s awesome power, we will be able to face whatever comes our way. Let’s commit to offering these types of prayers to God on behalf of others.
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Psa 118:8 It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. |
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