Thankful for Others and the Truth of God
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, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 1:15–20 Read More
Remember the great prayer guide verses that were in Colossians? Remember that the letter to the Ephesians was written right around the same time? Here we go with another helpful guide to pray:
Give Thanks
Whenever Paul prays for the church in Ephesus, he thanks God for them. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses while Paul was in Ephesus. At one point, people were starting to riot and wanted to beat him publicly. But when he turns his face to God to worship and ask for help, the Ephesians bring thankfulness. It’s hard to judge and critique someone while you are also thanking God for them. Put somebody into your prayer life full of thanksgiving.
Give Them a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
What if we prayed for people to excel in their faith and their life beyond anything we ourselves could reach? Typically my stance in prayer leans toward judging or looking down on this poor sucker on a street corner. Or God bless that poor person and their foolishness. What if instead, I prayed as I esteemed and honored people? What if I prayed that they would surpass me in whatever silly measure of judgment I’m using against them? A Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God would be a great thing to pray for ourselves, but here Paul shows us how to love others like we love ourselves. Pray for people to gain more than you yourself would ever imagine attaining.
Dwelling on the Truth
Because of all of the misconceptions about God, it is good to think hard about the facts that are true. Instead of meditating on all of the ways people can be wrong about God, spend time in prayer looking at the truth of who God is. He is incredibly powerful. He is limitless in His capabilities. He raised a man from the dead and restored all of His injuries to health. What He did for the Hebrews as He freed them from Egypt, He also did with each one of us little folks as He took away all of our sin and filled us with the fullness of God. He made a place for Jesus, a human man, to be fully God and dwell in Heaven. In the same way, He is remaking us to dwell with Him forever too.
As we pray, lift up others and lift up God. As we are lifted up in Him, and others are lifted up in Him, we all meet together and His influence spreads.
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