Belong: Prayer
“I want you to know how proud I am of you - know that you are daily in my prayers. Love, Memaw”
This is how my grandmother concluded the last letter she wrote to me before she died.
Even though she did not receive much education, my grandmother worked diligently in a sock factory, taught herself to type, and eventually became secretary. After work each day, she returned home to care for my mother and uncle as a single parent since my grandfather abandoned them years earlier.
Memaw was a tiny but mighty woman who had wisdom, hope, and power to face life’s many sorrows and joys because she prayed. She did not know politics, physics, literature, or different languages. But Memaw knew God.
Each day Memaw praised God for his character, thanked God for his blessings, confessed her mistakes to him, and asked God to provide for her needs and protect those she loved. As she prayed, she grew in her knowledge of God. As she prayed, she experienced more confidence in her relationship with Jesus.
Do you know someone who consistently prays this way?
Lydia’s Memaw who prayed every day.
In his letter to the Christians living in ancient Ephesus, Paul told his friends that he prayed “constantly” for them. Instead of praying that his friends would live safe or comfortable lives, Paul prayed for his friends to experience the wisdom, hope, and power that God gives to people who belong to him.
First, Paul prayed his friends would have wisdom.
“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God” (Ephesians 1:16-17, NLT).
Intellect and information are helpful, but that is not the kind of knowledge Paul desired for his friends. Paul wanted them not only to know about God, but to know God personally.
As we face making decisions at work or in our relationships and make plans for the future, we need to grow in our knowledge and experience of God. He is the source and foundation of true wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Reading the Bible helps us learn more about God, but ultimately growing in wisdom goes beyond our own abilities. So, God gives us his Spirit of Wisdom who works in us to transform our minds and hearts so we can live and act wisely.
When we pray, God’s Spirit grows our knowledge and experience of God’s wisdom.
Second, Paul prayed his friends would have hope.
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18).
Asking for good vibes and positive thought was not enough for Paul. He wanted something deeper for his friends who could not ignore or escape life’s challenges. So, Paul asked God to help his friends live each day with confident hope that their present experience would not be their future reality because they belonged to Jesus.
Constant news feeds and social media can leave us feeling pretty hopeless. Even if we live comfortable lives in Berlin, we still see the effects of war, injustice, poverty, disease, and environmental disasters all around. But because Jesus suffered and died, we can have hope that suffering and death will not be the end of our story. Since Jesus rose again, we trust that one day he will make us and all things new too. This is our promised “inheritance” from God, which he already gave us the down-payment for through the Holy Spirit (please see Paul’s explanation of this guarantee of our spiritual inheritance in Jesus in Ephesians 1:9-14).
When we pray, God’s Spirit gives us confident hope about our future with Jesus.
Third, Paul prayed his friends would have power.
“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:19-20).
Again, Paul did not encourage his friends to depend on their own personal influence, resources or abilities. Instead, he reminded them of God’s great power at work in their lives. The One who has all power over all things in this world, even the power to reverse death, is at work in us too. When we face struggles or temptations, the power of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit is with us in a mighty and active way. That means even if we feel powerless, the truth is that God’s power lives in us and enables us to do what is right and good.
When we pray, God’s Spirit shows us God’s great power at work within us and in the world.
Do you want to grow in wisdom, find confident hope, and experience great power?
If yes, then, do you pray?
If you want to connect with Community Church, check out our small groups where we read the Bible and pray together. Or come to our next Worship Gathering this Sunday, 18 February. We invite you to join us as we explore the book of Ephesians and learn how belonging to God changes our lives.