Today, among other things, we will talk about one of the greatest blueprints for prayer. It could revolutionize your time praying if you lack power or direction in your prayer life. We’re also going to look at one of the most complete prophecies about the sufferings of Christ in the Old Testament and something that can affect us all … being the target of sarcasm and mean-spirited joking.
Today’s Readings:
Isaiah 53 & 54
Psalm 113.1-4
Proverbs 26.17-19
Ephesians 3.1-21
A Blueprint for Prayer
Ephesians 3.1-21:
To Know the Love of Christ
In this chapter, Paul continues to expound on the riches and glory of being “in Christ.” And in verses 14-19, he recorded his prayer for the recipients of his letter to the Ephesians. This prayer and others recorded in Scripture are powerful passages to pray for ourselves and those we love, too. Let’s look at his prayer a little closer:
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Paul prayed that they would be strengthened spiritually (v. 16), that Christ and faith would live in their hearts (v. 17), that they would be rooted and grounded in the love of God (v. 17), that they would understand the scope of God’s love (vv. 17-18), and be filled with the fullness of God (v. 19).
John MacArthur in his Daily Bible says about the phrase “filled with the fullness of God” that we should pray “to be so strong spiritually, so compelled by divine love, that one is totally dominated by the Lord with nothing left of self.”
I know I fall far short but I yearn to be that person. How about you?
Prayer for Spiritual Growth
Here are some other examples of Paul’s prayers. In chapter 1 of Ephesians he prayed:
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Eph. 1.15-19).
From Philippians
From Philippians:
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1.3-6).
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1.9-11).
In Colossians
And in Colossians:
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col. 1.9-12).
Notice Paul’s prayers emphasize spiritual growth and maturity. It’s not that it’s wrong to pray for physical and material needs. But if that’s the main focus of our prayers, we may need to rethink our priorities.
Turning Other Passages into Prayer
Other passages can be turned into prayers, as well. Some suggestions from Paul’s epistles:
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (Phil. 2.3-4).
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world (Phil. 2.14-15).
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4.6-7).
Praying Scripture is one way to deepen your prayer time. As you read your Bible, be on the lookout for other passages that can be turned into prayers.
For more on this subject, you might check out one of these posts where I’ve written more on praying Scripture:
“Frustrated with Your Prayer Life?”
“Praying the Bible: Why We Don’t Pray More”
Today’s Other Readings:
Isaiah 53 & 54:
As He Took the Punishment for Our Sins
Chapter 53 is perhaps the most complete Old Testament picture of the sufferings of Christ and all that would come about as a result.
He Had No Beauty that We Should Desire Him
He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him (v. 2b).
He was born to poor parents in a stable. There was nothing kingly about Him from an earthly perspective—nothing that would make people say, “Listen, this is a man of influence.”
He Would Be Despised & Rejected
He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him (v. 3).
Relatively few recognized Him as the Messiah, instead, they despised Him because He exposed their hearts.
He took the punishment for our sins, and God’s wrath was poured out on Him instead of us (53.4-6).
Our Iniquity Would Be Laid on Him
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (v. 6).
He didn’t defend Himself. Instead, He remained silent before His accusers (53.7).
He died with the wicked, between two thieves, yet He was buried in the tomb of a rich man (53.8-9, 12).
Verse 12, “… And He bore the sin of many” (including you and me if we have placed our faith in Him).
He even “… made intercession for the transgressors” (53.12)—”Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23.34).
Now He is the resurrected Savior (Matt. 28.5), seated at the right hand of God (Eph. 1.20) and all who place their faith and trust in Him will one day be with Him in glory (Jn. 11.25; Col. 3.4).
What a Savior we have in Jesus!
Psalm 113.1-4:
Prayer from the Book of Psalms
These four verses should be our prayerful response for all He did for us:
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD!
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.
Proverbs 26.17-19:
I Was Only Kidding!
Verses 18-19:
Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, ‘I was only joking!’
Mean-spirited joking hurts. One form of it is sarcasm. Sarcasm is one of the most lethal weapons we can use against one another. One definition of the word means to “tear with the teeth.” And isn’t that how it feels when we are the object of someone else’s sarcasm or the butt of someone’s joke?
People who use their words this way can do a great deal of damage. Yet, rather than face their own sin honestly when confronted, they often minimize it by saying they were only kidding!
But while we can’t control what someone else does, we can still seek to lovingly confront them (Eph. 4.15, 25-27, 29), overcome evil with good (Rom. 12.21), and purpose in our hearts not to be the perpetrators of evil, sarcastic speech.
What Do You Think about Prayer & Scripture?
Are there certain passages of Scripture you like to pray? Or did you find one you would like to start praying? Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll talk about what a mature Christian looks like and what’s going on when we think we can sin now and ask forgiveness later. We’ll also look at angry children, hypocrisy, the armor of God, and more.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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