If we are honest, it is all too easy to find ourselves praying for the wrong reasons or praying to false images of who God is. It seems difficult to keep up a steady rhythm of prayer sometimes. Maybe we start praying and get distracted or even fall asleep. Or it feels dull and lifeless. Or you just don’t know what to say.
What we need is to be set free by what God’s Word says. There are also times in prayer when we may feel like there is nothing better than God’s presence or He speaks in such powerful ways that we never want the experience to end. There also may be a moment when the Spirit of God prays through the person praying. There will be moments in your prayer life that you are driven to your knees by the revelation of God and who He says you are.
Ephesians 3:14 – 21…
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in Heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Posture…We like to be in a posture of strength or success or confidence. But the postures of weakness or sinfulness or fearfulness aren’t as desirable. We would much rather look successful and confident than sinful or fearful. Paul’s posture in prayer was rooted in the reasons he prayed and the person he prayed to. What does your posture in prayer look like lately? What does your posture in prayer say about what you believe about God? Or what you believe about yourself? Your posture in prayer is rooted in the reasons you pray and the person you pray to.
Sometimes we pray for the wrong reasons…Sometimes the reason we pray is because we feel obligated or we think its our duty. Other times the reason we pray is because of some momentary need. We do have a duty to pray and it is good to go to God with our needs. But if we dig a little deeper into this kind of posturing, we might find that we fundamentally misbelieve some things about God deep within our hearts.
Sometimes we pray to a false image of who God is…The duty posture with our heads hung low teaches us that we believe in a false image of a God, who is like an angry dad who will be displeased with us when we don’t pray. The momentary need posture (again, only coming to God when we feel needy) teaches us that we believe in a false image of a God who is like a bellhop or a waitress who will come running to our beck and call when we have a need.
Or we recreate God into our own image and we begin to pray to a weak or broken false god rather than our true, all powerful, all loving Father in Heaven. In our thoughts and with our words at the right times, we may believe that our Father in Heaven is all-powerful and all-loving. But what about in the quiet moments before the Lord? The posture of our prayer needs to be transformed by the truth of who God actually is.
We need to be set free from our unbelieving posture…God’s Word speaks truth into the struggle with unbelief. The truth of God’s Word sets us free to believe in who God is and who God says we are. This is what Paul is doing when he says “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father.” He’s praying in light of what he has already said about who God is and who God says we are.
Look back at what Paul has said to the Ephesians up until now… In Christ, you are not cursed you are blessed. (Eph. 1:1-3) In Christ, you are chosen. (Eph. 1:3-6) In Christ, you are priceless. (Eph. 1:7-10) In Christ, you are guaranteed. (Eph. 1:11-14) In Christ, you can live with your eyes wide open. (Eph. 1:15-20) In Christ, the power of God is enough for you. (Eph. 1:19-23) In Christ, you are spiritually alive. (Eph. 2:1-7) In Christ, you are saved. (Eph. 2:8) In Christ, you can rest from doing, working, and chasing. (Eph. 2:8-9) In Christ, your life is a masterpiece. (Eph. 2:10) In Christ, you are a new person with a new name. (Eph. 2:11-13) In Christ, you are at peace and full of peace. (Eph. 2:14-18) In Christ, you are treasured, secure and useful. (Eph. 2:19-22) In Christ, you are a redeemed prisoner. (Eph. 3:1) In Christ, you are a steward of the gospel of grace. (Eph. 3:2-5) In Christ, you are a promise trusting, gospel made person. (Eph. 3:6-7) In Christ, you can confidently call others to be confident. (Eph. 3:8-13)
This is why Paul said… “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in Heaven and on earth is named”. Paul didn’t pray out of duty or obligation. He didn’t pray to an angry Father. He didn’t pray to a bellhop or a waitress. Paul prayed to the God he knew because God had made him new and that transformed his posture in prayer.
Praying to the God you believe in, in light of who God says you are, transforms your posture in prayer. Your posture in prayer is rooted in the reasons you pray and the person you pray to.
Discussion Questions:
- What did you hear in the sermon or read in this discussion guide that caught your attention?
- How does your view of God affect your prayer posture?
- How will this message affect your prayer posture in the future?
- What part of the looking back section stood out to you? Or what did you need to hear from that review?
- Spend some time in prayer over each other.