Daily Devotions
Ephesians
"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man."
Text: Ephesians 3:16
PRAYING AS A CHILD
Prayer to a child is a simple matter. We teach children how to pray along very simple lines. We teach them how to address God as Father with love and respect. We teach them how to confess all wrongdoing. We teach them how to present requests humbly and to leave the answers to God. This approach to prayer is fine for a child.
PRAYING AS A MATURE BELIEVER
Many think that prayer as adult believers is not much different. This understanding is erroneous. The two prayers that Paul recorded in Ephesians stand as proof that we need a mature heart and mind if we are to intercede significantly. Let us be reminded of what Paul wrote on the subject of maturity.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child,
I understood as a child, I thought as child;
but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:11
Let us take time to learn from Paul, how a mature Christian ought to pray for his brethren, for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“That He would grant you…”
We must establish the basis of our petition made to God. Paul understood the doctrine of prayer well. Through years of experience, he had learned many deep lessons about praying effectively. Two things must be understood as we contemplate the above phrase.
1. Prayer is addressed to a Higher, Sovereign being
Though Paul may not have used the language of the psalmist in his prayer, nevertheless he adopted an attitude of humility in prayer. Though Paul used an ordinary pronoun “He” as a reference to God, he maintained a humble spirit. The following text from the Psalms may be cited as an expression of awe and reverence for God. Paul’s spirit of humility matched that of the Psalmist David.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God, for to You I will pray.
PSALM 5:2
2. The hearing and answering of our prayers
Sometimes we make too much out of efforts in prayer. We point to our fasting. We highlight our faith. We speak of laying “claims on God’s promises”.
Paul did not pray in this manner at all. Though he was an apostle of great standing before God and man, he never presumed that his position would avail him anything before the Lord.
The phrase, “That He would grant you” speaks volumes of how Paul understood how God answered prayers. The petitioner cannot determine the outcome. He cannot guarantee that all that he had asked for would be answered as requested.
This basis of Paul’s approach to prayer must be clearly understood. When one comes before a great King and a mighty God, one can only make petitions humbly, leaving the matter of answers to the Sovereign Lord.