Prayer for Strength with Power from God’s Spirit

 We often ask for strength to face difficult situations. But that strength cannot be viewed as coming just from self. In Ephesians 3:14-19 the apostle Paul bows his knees in prayer and desires that God grant his readers “to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” This desire on his part has the following 

purposes in mind…

• ·        That Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith
• ·        That they may be rooted and grounded in love
• ·        That they together may know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge
• ·        That they may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul’s main concern for his brothers and sisters in Christ was the condition of their inner being. That inner being needs to be strengthened with power from the Spirit.

Taking this cue from Paul, would it make a difference for one another in the body of Christ if we intentionally prayed for one another’s inner being? This relates to spiritual strength that enables each one of us to be able to experience the four purposes listed above.

Christ is dwelling in our hearts, and we pray for that for each other. We are rooted and grounded in love, and we pray for that very thing for one another. Together we comprehend the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, and we constantly pray for that. And, we pray that each other will be filled with all the fullness of God.

As children of the heavenly Father, we bow the knee for one another. How rich is this kind of prayer, and how extraordinary is this kind of family where such concerns are mutually shared!

As a "transformational leader" like the apostle Paul, we understand the vital importance of others being strengthened in their "inner being." We desire to see Christ in others; we desire to see them rooted and grounded in love; we desire that they experience the love of Christ in ways unfathomable; and, we desire that they be filled to the fullest extent possible with God.

These four purposes are necessary for inward spiritual growth and strength. Being part of the family of God, the community of faith, enables us to pray this powerfully and passionately for others! May God give each one of us called to be a "transformational leader" the desire to bow our knees like Paul every day for other members of God's family!

In Christian love, Curtis

Meeting God in Prayer

The Christian faith travels a continuum. It goes from believing about, to believing in, to believing together. Sometimes this “believing together” is spoken of in the Scriptures in two ways: meeting God and covenant faithfulness.

            In the Old Testament Moses goes up into the mountain to meet God. In that meeting Moses is given the Ten Commandments. Joshua tells the entire congregation of Israel to get ready to meet God the next day to worship Him.

            Probably the most well known expression of this is found in the Psalms.

Psalm 42:2

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

        God created each one of us to have a deep thirst for Him. Only the Living Waters from the Living God can quench the thirst of my living soul. The Psalmist is so sensitive and aware of this inner reality that he asks the question regarding the next time he can go and meet with God? We begin with meeting God in prayer.

             “Many Christians suffer under the assumption that they should automatically know how to pray…Sometimes, however, we need guidance—we need to learn to pray” [Bryant, Stephen D. (1999). “Meeting God in Pray.” Spiritual Formation Bible. Nashville, TN: Upper Room Publishers; page 164].

            An unnamed disciple one day apparently heard Jesus praying in a certain place. When Jesus had finished (don’t you wish we had the words of that prayer!), he made this request: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). What this particular anonymous disciple knew about John teaching his disciples to pray we are not told. But based on that knowledge, and apparently overhearing Jesus’ own prayer, he was vitally interested in prayer.

            In response to this request, Jesus gives what we call the model prayer, or The Lord’s Prayer. Perhaps we need to call it the “Disciples Prayer” because Jesus really offers it for them. Let us each pursue this prayer as Jesus’ answer for our own deep request to learn how to pray!

In Christian love, Curtis

Struggling in Prayer Together

            Every church I have ever been a part of has a prayer line or prayer request opportunity. So many misconceptions surround the practice of prayer. Additionally, many unknown dimensions of prayer remain unknown in actual practice. The one I want to focus on is what I call “Mutual Agonizing Prayer.”

            Sean was a young man who asked me to visit him. His world had caved in because of unsuccessful surgeries that left him virtually incapacitated and unable to eat normally. The pain, the misery and the depression were quite acute. On this particular day I entered his apartment and all he could do was listen and pet his dog. It was the first time in my life that I made the following statement: “Sean, I will help take on your painful struggle and pray in your presence right now, trying to say what you are feeling.” Taking on the pain of another introduces empathy into our own lives at a whole new level.

            The apostle Paul understood this mutually, deep experience of prayer. On one occasion he requests that his Christian brothers and sisters in Rome “agonize together with me in prayer” (Romans 15:30). He was asking to be delivered from mistreatment and other difficult obstacles in his life. He felt he could only face these trying circumstances by asking others on board his ship of life. No such thing as sailing solo for Paul during a storm!

            To the church at Colossae Paul reminds them of their friend, Epaphras, who also “agonized in prayer on their behalf”(Colossians 4:12). He specifically prayed for their spiritual maturity and an assurance that they were committing their lives properly to the will of God.

            Think with me, now, about this mutual, deep experience of prayer. Here is what we can struggle together about…

• ·         Health concerns that overwhelm
• ·         Proper way to respond to mistreatment
• ·         Spiritual maturity
• ·         Right decision-making
• ·         Support in the midst of emotional pain
• ·         Right direction in a person’s life

I know that we all can add to this list. When we go through the fires of pain, and life throws one obstacle after another in our path, we understand in the Christian world-view that we do not have to make that journey alone! “Struggling together in prayer” is a mutual blessing that is embraced by Christians who care for one another.

In Christian love, Curtis