With two of my children in college, and a third less than a year away, I am frequently reminded about what that season of life was like for me as well. Overall I had a very positive college experience. I learned important things. I made great friends. I met my wife, and the Lord made clear to me how He wanted me to use the years following graduation.
But some aspects of college were less than ideal. One issue that started to become pretty noticeable to me was the prevalence of complaining. I still remember when it dawned on me that a large segment of my friends were doing that with regularity. Every time we got together, the complaints began. I heard complaints about professors, assignments, dorm life, and the preferences of other students. It started to grate on me and I wanted to get away from it, especially at meals.
I still remember when I suggested to Andrea that we try to find more positive people to sit with when we were eating. "Don't you think our friends are going to notice that we aren't sitting with them anymore?," she asked. I replied, "They might, but I really need a break from all of this negativity." So for a season, we sat with other friends.
That was a long time ago now, but I've noticed something as I've been living my adult life. It isn't just college students who complain. People at every season of life can easily make that a habit of their conversations if they aren't careful and intentional about it. In fact, I think if you closely listen to the conversations that come from the mouths of those you spend time with, you'll see they probably complain more than they express any kind of thankfulness.
Ephesians 1:15-23 is a thankful portion of Scripture. In it, Paul expresses his thankfulness for other believers, for the power of God, and for the authority of Jesus Christ. How might we be able to express that same kind of thankfulness? One way we can express it is in how we're praying for those we love.
I. How should you pray for those you love?
““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,””
Prayer is a gift from God. It is an undeserved blessing that He allows His children to be able to utilize. Through prayer, we express our trust, confess our mistakes, offer thanksgiving, and seek God's intervention in our lives. Paul was eager to pray for those he loved, and we should be as well.
As Paul was writing this letter from his house imprisonment in Rome, the faith of the Ephesian believers was on his mind. Word of their growth in Christ and love for one another had reached his ears, and he made it a regular habit to remember these Christians in prayer. Paul even listed some of the specific things he was praying about.
Years ago, I asked a close family member to pray about something specific for me. "I can't do that," she said. When I asked her why, she admitted, "I have a hard time asking God for specific things."
As long as we're entrusting our requests to God's will, and not asking Him to violate His nature or the clear teaching of His word, I don't believe it's wrong to make specific requests of God in our times of prayer. It's up to Him to answer however He chooses, and it's up to us to humbly accept His decision, but that doesn't prevent us from seeking His intervention in very specific ways. Look at some of the specific things Paul prayed about on behalf of the church at Ephesus.
Paul prayed that through the Holy Spirit, these believers would be blessed with wisdom and revelation. He prayed that they would know the Lord deeply. He prayed that their hearts would be enlightened and they would have deeper spiritual insight into God's nature and will. Paul prayed that they would have a deep and abiding confidence in the hope the Lord had blessed them with through Christ and that they would grasp the richness of their spiritual inheritance as believers.
Paul made some very specific requests, and as you read his list, can I challenge you to do something in particular with it? Would you be willing to begin praying for the same exact things on behalf of those you love? Pray these things for your spouse, children, and grandchildren. Pray them for your friends. Pray them for your church family. I'd even suggest that you begin praying them for yourself as well, and see what begins to happen in your life.
II. Do you know what it means to rely on God's power?
““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,” ”
It's no secret that I find it relaxing to work in my yard. I like taking care of it. I find it to be a helpful diversion from some of my other responsibilities. And when different tools for lawn care are invented, I tend to be an early adopter.
About twenty years ago, I saw a battery-powered weed trimmer for sale and I took a chance on it. It was certainly more convenient to use than a gas-powered trimmer, at least for a little while, but the battery in it didn't hold up like I wished. Eventually, I stopped using it and reverted back to gas. But just last year, I was persuaded to try a battery-powered option again. Two seasons into using it, I can testify that it works just as promised and is holding up fine.
Power is something we need in all spheres of life. God makes a point to offer us His power, but do we understand what it means to actually utilize it and rely on it? As Paul was praying for the Ephesian believers, he also made a point to pray that they would be highly acquainted with and make great use of God's power because His divine power is available to all who trust in Jesus Christ.
God's power is the "working of His great might." His power is active and energetic. His power is mighty and overcomes what's set against it. We see that displayed in particular when we observe the miracles Jesus accomplished in the gospel accounts.
By nature, God is strong. Strength is an inherent quality of who He is. And His mighty power was put on full display when Christ was raised from the dead and seated at the Father's right hand.
It's one thing to understand these concepts academically, but are these concepts we understand in practice as well? Are you approaching each day of your life with profound confidence that the same power that raised Jesus from death is also at work in you? Are you making use of God's power? Do you even believe you can use it, or are you attempting to live a powerless life because you haven't yet developed a mature understanding of the benefits of your union with Christ?
When you're going through a season of temptation, do you seek God's power to overcome it, or do you keep telling yourself the lie that you're powerless? When your doctors tell you that it would take a miracle to restore your health or the health of a loved one, do you ask God for that miracle, or do you sulk and adopt a fatalistic stance instead?
Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand, rely on, and utilize God's power. Let's make that our aim as well. If the power of God is something we're thankful for, let's live and pray like we actually believe we have access to it.
III. Are you willing to submit to Christ's authority?
““far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” ”
I saw a statistic this week that estimated that in the coming year, we can expect 41% of all employees to change jobs or resign from their positions. Some have made their decision based on a desire to experience a different kind of work, but others are making their decisions based on the fact that they are tired of dealing with poor leadership in their place of employment.
Most of us have to deal with that at some point. Personally, I have worked with all kinds of bosses. Some were a joy to work with, while others were miserable and didn't seem to understand how to lead or motivate people.
This world is filled with leaders, authorities, and spiritual forces that selfishly hold onto power and lord it over as many people as they can, but the kind of leadership we experience from Jesus, and the kind of authority He wields, is vastly different.
Scripture tells us that Jesus is above any human, demonic, or angelic authority. That is true in the present age and will be particularly obvious in the age to come as well. The Father placed all things under the authority of Christ and made Him head of the church.
By the grace of God, we are welcomed into His family, the church, when we trust in Christ for salvation. We are likewise, as this Scripture teaches, "filled" or "blessed and gifted" in Christ. We've been blessed with the glorious hope of being able to see beyond our present circumstances, and we're granted His supernatural power so that we may serve one another and build each other up. Our service toward one another is all done under the authority of Christ.
As we finish our look at this passage, let me ask you to contemplate your willingness to submit to Christ's authority. When you're making decisions, how are those decisions made? Do you primarily make your choices based on your feelings? Do you make your choices based on what you think will benefit you? Or can you confidently say you have submitted your will to Jesus and He's the one calling the shots in your life?
Ole Hallesby was a conservative, Norwegian Lutheran theologian who passed away in 1961. During World War 2, he was an outspoken opponent of the Nazi occupation of Norway, which led to him being arrested and detained in a concentration camp for two years (until the end of the war). That experience reinforced his trust in Jesus, and he remained confident in Christ's power and authority in the midst of this trial.
I love what he had to say about prayer, power, and authority. He commented, "Prayer is the risen Jesus coming in with His resurrection power, given free rein in our lives, and then using His authority to enter any situation and change things."
I'm thankful that Jesus has done so much on our behalf. I'm thankful that He continues to intervene in our lives, and I'm thankful that He grants us the grace to express our thankfulness through prayer and submission to Him.
© John Stange, 2021
