A MIGHTY PRAYER REQUEST 14-16

Ephesians: Verse by Verse A Prayer Request for Power and Love (3:14–21)

The prayer in chapter 1 centered on Paul’s request that God would give the Ephesians wisdom to understand his great power and find the hope that realization will bring. Here Paul prays that God will pour his strength into them so they might experience the indwelling presence of Christ and be rooted in him

You may be asking why do we need this power, why is Paul praying for it? let me provide this answer from Sam Storms, “What I see is a gap-often a chasm-between what the church is and what it ought to be. I see the disparity between what Christians say and what they do, between what theyknow and how they live, between what they promise and how much they fulfill. Preachers teach the Bible, and people snore. Homemakers share their faith, and it falls on deaf ears. Lives get broken but rarely get fixed. Bodies are suffering, yet few are healed. Marriages are dying, and people just give up. Temptations are faced, and sin flourishes. The poor are hungry and stay that way.”

Ephesians: Verse by Verse (Paul Solemnly Addresses the Father (3:14–15))

PAUL SOLEMNLY ADDRESSES THE FATHER (3:14–15)

Paul repeats the opening of 3:1, where he had originally intended to begin his prayer. “For this reason” now looks back especially to 3:2–13 and his explanation of the church’s role in the divine mystery that has been revealed: the reality of Jew and Gentile in a united, new covenant people, the church. This remarkable reality has been made possible by the reconciling work of Christ on the cross (2:1–10). This reality was also the theme of 2:11–22, so this passage is a prayer for the church to find God’s strength to complete the mission to the world described in chapters 1–3.

To provide the strength necessary for such a high calling, Paul calls on the Father of all creation. He begins with “I kneel” or “I bow the knee,” showing his humility and complete dependence upon the high and holy God. The Jewish people in prayer sometimes stood with hands outstretched, sometimes knelt, and sometimes prostrated themselves before God. Kneeling demonstrated total submission to God and reverence before him. Paul here addresses God as Father, likely with an emphasis on God as Abba (Aramaic term for “father”; Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6), reflecting his intimate love and care for his children.

This becomes a solemn invocation when Paul addresses the Father as the One “from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name” (3:15). There is a play on words between “father” (patēr) and “family” (patria); in the same way fathers have authority over their family, the heavenly Father has sovereignty and power over every aspect of creation. Adam’s naming the animals in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:19–20) signified his authority over the animal world and his responsibility to take care of them. God as Creator has supremacy over his creation. The God who answers prayer is not only the compassionate Father but also the Creator God:

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one

and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing. (Isa 40:26)

What are the “families in heaven” to whom Paul refers? There is general agreement that these are the orders of angels. The Bible doesn’t tell us a great deal about the hierarchy and classifications of angels. Archangels seem to be the highest order, but we don’t know much about the cherubim that guarded the garden in Genesis 3:24 and held up the throne of God above the ark in Exodus 25:18–22 or about the seraphim above the throne of God in Isaiah 6:2, 6. These terms seem to signify powerful kinds of angels that are attendants of the heavenly court. There also seems to be a heavenly council of angels who have some judicial functions (Job 1–2; Rev 4:4). At any rate, the point here is that God has named all creatures and remains sovereign over his creation.

Humility

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Praying for Power (Ephesians 3:14–21)

We must have God’s power to do God’s will. Let me make three points regarding our need to pray with a high view of God.

Pray with Humility

EPHESIANS 3:14–16A

The first thing to notice here is Paul’s posture. Kneeling was not common for the Jews. The typical position was one of standing, as we see today at the Wailing Wall. Whenever someone is kneeling in prayer in the Bible, he is indicating deep humility and deep emotion before God. I do not want to suggest that this is the only correct posture for prayer, for we have people praying in all kinds of postures in the Bible (my favorite way to pray is by walking), but I do want to emphasize the heart of the idea of kneeling.

As we consider this posture, I think we can draw application about three things: gratitude, desperation, and confidence.

Humble Gratitude

The context shows us that Paul is praying with humble gratitude to God. I draw this from “For this reason” (v. 14). What prompted this prayer? What was the “reason”? Paul began this prayer in verse 1 it seems, but he took a holy rabbit trail to talk about his calling in 3:2–13. So, what preceded 3:1?

Two chapters of God’s amazing grace preceded chapter 3. Gratitude for the grace of God in chapters 1–2 prompted this prayer in chapter 3. Paul was stunned at God’s grace in saving sinners individually and at His grace in uniting them corporately.

When we reflect on God’s amazing grace, it should lead us to get on our faces before God, who called us, adopted us, redeemed us, and forgave us. Christ died on our behalf. The Spirit has sealed us. God has brought us from death to life, has raised us with Christ, and has seated us with Christ. God has made us part of His church. In light of these realities, Paul says, “For this reason I kneel before the Father.” And so should we.

Prayer is not striking a piñata or asking God for goodies. It begins and ends in worship. That is what Paul is doing here. He is worshiping. Paul knew God had taken the initiative to call sinners to Himself in order to form a people, and that made him fall to his knees. Paul loved God because God had called sinners to Himself, dressed them in the robes of Christ, and said there are no second-class citizens in the kingdom. Did He do this because they were good? No. God did it because God is good.

When was the last time we bowed in humble gratitude to God like this? The psalmist captures this spirit:

Come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture,

the sheep under His care. (Ps 95:6–7)

Let us kneel before the Lord God our Maker, or as Paul says here, “Before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (vv. 14b–15). Let us kneel before the sovereign Father over all and worship Him for His grace and glory.

Humble Desperation

Kneeling is also a sign of desperation. When we realize that we are approaching the only One who can act on our behalf, it gives us a proper sense of helplessness.

From this text we see that Paul is not a cold theologian, busy writing sophisticated arguments for philosophers to consider. He is a deeply passionate leader. We see him with Ephesian elders in Acts 20 shedding “tears” as he left them (Acts 20:19, 31, 37). In that context we also see him kneeling in prayer (Acts 20:36). He sets a good example for us. Earlier in Acts, Stephen falls to the ground in desperation and prays for his persecutors (Acts 7:60).

Why is Paul so passionate and desperate in Ephesians 3:14? I think because he knows what the Ephesians need is something that can only come from God: power. Notice how Paul prays that God would “grant” them to be strengthened (v. 16). He knew God’s power was a gift, so he was desperate for God to answer.

Are you coming to God desperately? Do you realize you are helpless and powerless without God? A vivid illustration of this is found in a story titled “Palm Monday”:

The donkey awakened, his mind still savoring the afterglow of the most exciting day of his life. Never before had he felt such a rush of pleasure and pride.

He walked into town and found a group of people by the well. “I’ll show myself to them,” he thought.

But they didn’t notice him. They went on drawing their water and paid him no mind.

“Throw your garments down,” he said crossly. “Don’t you know who I am?”

They just looked at him in amazement. Someone slapped him across the tail and ordered him to move.

“Miserable heathens!” he muttered to himself. “I’ll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me.”

But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the market place.

“The palm branches! Where are the palm branches?” he shouted. “Yesterday, you threw palm branches!”

Hurt and confused, the donkey returned home to his mother.

“Foolish child,” she said gently. “Don’t you realize that without him, you are just an ordinary donkey?” (Rice, More Hot Illustrations, Kindle)

Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5). This should humble us and make us desperate, but it should also encourage us. You can do ministry with His help.

Humble Confidence

Finally, Paul’s introduction here shows us that we should also come before God with confidence. We should not come with arrogance, thinking God owes us His blessings, but with humble confidence. Why? We can pray with confidence because of our position in Christ. Paul said in Ephesians 2:18 that because of the reconciling work of Jesus and our union with Him, we have access to God. Then in chapter 3 he says, “We have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (3:12). We can also pray with confidence because we are approaching our Father who loves us (John 16:26–27).

Our Father is the sovereign Father. Paul calls Him “the glorious Father” (1:17) and the “Father of all” (4:6). Here Paul says that “every family in heaven and on earth is named” from God. This is an expression of the Father’s authority and rule over all.

Our Father is rich and powerful! Paul prays for God to answer “according to the riches of His glory” (cf. Phil 4:19). God’s resources never run out. Therefore, bring your petitions to Him confidently.

Our Father is gracious. Paul asks for God to “grant” the church strength. God loves to give good gifts to His children, particularly those things pertaining to the Spirit, not just material blessings but the Spirit’s guidance and work (cf. Luke 11:11–13).