Prayer in the book of Ephesians
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father. In other words, Paul was saying: For this reason I pray for you.
FOR THIS REASON: You see him saying the same thing in Eph 3:1-2. What was Paul referring to when he said "For this reason?" And we see it even in Eph 1:15-16, where we read, "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."
We see what 'this reason' is in Chapter 2, where Paul explains how the Gentiles had become believers and been included in the kingdom of God.
So that is why Paul prays and gives thanks to God, for this work of grace and this work of God. Paul would not have thought even in his wildest imagination that Gentile people will be included in the family of God.
I BOW MY KNEES BEFORE THE FATHER: Prayer was second nature to Paul, as can be seen from the following scriptures.
Rom 1: firstly I thank my God ... without ceasing ... to you.
Romans 1:8 "First, I THANK MY GOD through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world."
Phil 1:3 "I THANK MY GOD in all my remembrance of you"
Col 1:3 "We always THANK GOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we PRAY for you"
1 Thess 1:2-3 "We GIVE THANKS TO GOD always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our PRAYERS, remembering before our God and Father ..."
2 Thess 1:3 "We ought always to GIVE THANKS TO GOD for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing."
Philemon 1:4-6 "I THANK MY GOD always when I remember you in my PRAYERS, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I PRAY that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
We must ask ourselves if prayer is second nature to us. Prayer is central in the life of a believer and in the life of a church.
In the verses we have just seen, we can observe that sometimes Paul uses the pronoun 'I' and sometimes 'we,' and this is because we have CLOSET PRAYER and CORPORATE PRAYER.
Paul exercises closet prayer often; even our text today is an example.
1 Thes 1:1-3 is an example of corporate prayer, where we see the three men, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, obviously prayed together. So also in Col 1:1-3, we see that Paul and Timothy prayed together. Paul is just one among many in scripture to whom both types of prayer was second nature.
As you read your Bible, make a note of the saints who exercise both these kinds of prayer:
Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Elijah, Daniel, David Hannah, Mary, James, Peter, . . .
What in your opinion is the most important exercise in the life of a Christian in our church. We may have many answers to this question.
- Worship
- Praise and worship
- Preaching and teaching
- Evangelism, personal and as a church
- Fellowship
- Lord's table
All these should be important to believers, but can any of these be done without prayer?
Should we meet for fellowship without prayer?
Should a preacher come to preach without prayer
Should we go to evangelise without prayer?
Should we partake of the Lord's table without prayer?
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, FOR APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
We must realise who we are before God. We are helpless and hopeless, and the only Man who can help us is the Lord Jesus. Apart from Him we can do nothing, in every small and great details of life. We are totally dependent upon Him. That is why we pray. When Paul thought of anyone, he prayed. In every situation he prayed. Prayer was second nature to him.
The greatest example of prayer is Jesus. Work your way through the gospels and see all the occasions when Jesus prayed.
- Luke 6:12-13 " In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve . . ."
- Luke 1:35 "And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
- Matt 26:36 'Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray."
NT church is also a good example of prayer.
Acts 1:14 "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."
Acts 12:5, 14 "So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. . .
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying."
How is your prayer life, both closet prayer and corporate prayer?
Beyond any shadow of doubt, our prayer life is a vital and important exercise for our spiritual wellbeing.
The whole future of South City rests on its prayer life,and that is why we must be steeped in prayer. The NT has much to say about prayer. For instance James 5:13-18: " Is anyone among you suffering? Let him PRAY. Is anyone cheerful? Let him SING PRAISE. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them PRAY over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the PRAYER of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and PRAY for one another, that you may be healed. The PRAYER of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he PRAYED fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he PRAYED again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit."
A sure sign that a marriage is in trouble is that the couple are not talking anymore. So too it is in our relationship with God. When we do not communicate in prayer, something is wrong.
Ps 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Hymn writers have expressed this well.
- Sweet hour of prayer / The joys I feel, the bliss I share / Of those whose anxious spirits burn / With strong desires for Thy return / With such I hasten to the place / Where God my Savior shows His face / And gladly take my station there / And wait for Thee, sweet hour of prayer
- There is a place of quiet rest / Near to the heart of God / A place where sin cannot molest / Near to the heart of God.
Prayer in the presence of God is heaven on earth.