Praying Godly Prayers

Introduction: Godly Prayer

Why godly prayer? Is there such a thing as “ungodly prayer”?

It seems that “ungodly prayer” is a contradiction.

Prayer becomes ungodly when based on our own standards, focused on selfish desires and grounded by our own limitations.

Examples?

standards - when we pray the way everyone else does, churchy prayers, almost scripted

selfish - we pray for our own selfish intentions, sometimes advancing our selves and interests at the expense of others. (examples)

limited - we set limitations on how God can He can possibly answer our prayers.

What is godly prayer?

BIG IDEA: Godly prayer is one that trusts and glorifies God and expects answers every single time.

Today we’ll look at a prayer that is modeled by the great apostle Paul and my hope is that we will leave this place with a real understanding of godly prayer, the kind of prayer that prevails and the kind that God wants us to pray.

Today we’ll look at a prayer that is modeled by the great apostle Paul. It is his prayer of intercession for the Ephesian church and my hope is that we will leave this place receiving the benefits of this prayer for us being the body of Christ. That we also will have a real understanding of godly prayer, the kind of prayer that prevails and the kind that God wants us to pray.

Let’s start in the study of this prayer by looking at the way the apostle Paul ended it.

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

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.

Ephesians

Ephesians 3:20 ESV

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,

Have we ever meditated on this passage of scripture?

I challenge you not only to make this a scripture to memorize but a principle that you will apply in your prayer life.

God is able to do for you far more, say it with me “far more” than we can ever ask or think. He can do for us what He determined to do, not what we want Him to do. He can do far beyond what we imagine that we do.

Sometimes when we pray we limit the hand of God within the walls of our expectations and our understanding. But He can do so much more than we can ask or think! His ways are higher than ours.

This is why we don’t recognize God’s answer to our prayer, because our sights are limited to the confines of the walls that we have built around our prayer. When God is already breaking the walls and unleashing us to do something we have not done before and be in a place where we have never been.

That is prevailing prayer, believing that God can do above and beyond measure of what we can ever ask or think.

What are the components of godly prayer?

We shall see it by studying one great prayer in scripture. It is the prayer of The Apostle Paul for the Ephesian church.

Ephesians 3:14–19 ESV

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.

How: How should we pray?

We pray with the right posture of our hearts, we bow before Him in reverence. The ordinary Jewish attitude of prayer was standing, with the hands stretched out and palms upward. But we see the intensity of prayer when we kneel or prostrate ourselves before him.

Who: To Whom should we pray?

and yet we call out of a relationship with Him. God is our Father.

We call out of a relationship with Him. God is our Father.

When we call God our Father, it is not just a sense of paternity, that He is the creator of all things or that we came from Him. The center of the Christian concept of God as Father is that He is the Father of Jesus, and he is like Jesus, He is kind, He is merciful and loving just as Jesus is.

We can approach Him because Jesus has drawn us to Him.

There is no longer any reason why we cannot come to the Father freely, unless we have an estranged relationship with Him.

Who

Who

To whom should we pray.

“… I bow my knees before the Father...”

He is the One from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named

What

We call to God out of a relationship with Him. God is our Father.

When we call God our Father, it is not just a sense of paternity, that He is the creator of all things or that we came from Him. (Other religions have that same sense, even the pagan religions, Romans used to refer to their highest god as father zeus). Here at the center of the Christian concept of God as our Father is that He is the Father of Jesus, and he is like Jesus, He is kind, gentle, compassionate, merciful and loving just as Jesus is.

And we can approach Him because Jesus has drawn us to Him.

There is no longer any reason why we cannot come to the Father freely, unless we have an estranged relationship with Him.

What should we pray for?

especially when we pray for others.

“That according to the riches of His glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ..” - what does this mean

I believe this does not only mean that there are riches that God keeps in glory - like the sons and rich daughters who cannot wait to get a hold of their inheritance - NO - this is tied to God’s purpose for us.

The church of God in heaven and on earth is joined together under one Father

The Westminster Catechism states that :

“The chief end of man is to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever.” (Westminster Catechism)

Since the real purpose of existence is the glory of God then anything that gets in line with that purpose will be blessed according to God’s riches.

People a lot of times come to the Lord in prayer but their lives are not aligned to Him…examples (resistance to God’s work)

Fulfill your purpose and glorify God in your life and even in your prayers.

What happens when we have aligned our lives to God’s purpose? The Apostle said that by that “… God may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being..”

What does it mean to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being.?

I have a degree in Civil engineering, one thing I still remember from engineering when you design a building structure is that you have to consider static forces and dynamic forces. Static forces are actually the primary thing in structural design, engineers computations of the dead weight of the building itself and all the furniture. But that is not enough, engineers also need to consider dynamic forces, internal, the movement of people occupying the building, the movement of the elevators and also the external forces, like strong winds and movements of the ground in an earthquake.

That is how true strength of a building is measured it should be able to hold its own dead weight and internal forces and also withstand outside forces.

If a Christian is so burdened by the dead weight in their lives, he will have difficulty withstanding the external forces that beat against him.

Why

What are the most common dead weights in people’s lives.

Sins

hurts from the past

Unforgiveness

These things prevent the Christian to be strong in their inner being through God’s Spirit so that they can have a breakthrough. God wants you to have a breakthrough. That is the kind of response to prayer that He wants to give to us.

But the dead weight is keeping some Christians to experience the powerful breakthrough of God in their lives. They are fighting their own demons. Well we always fight the enemy, but having to fight your own demons is different. It means that because of all these baggages from the past, all the devil has to do is to push these buttons and you will just stay where you are and not advance to the place where God wants you to be.

Renounce all of these baggages, throw out all your dead weight that is holding you down and preventing you from advancing and you will truly experience the power of God through His Spirit.

Why

Why do we need to be strengthened with power through His Spirit?

a. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

b. That we may know the love of God that surpasses knowledge.

We know that the Holy Spirit is with us Christians when we first believed in Jesus. Why then would Paul have to pray for Christians so that Christ may dwell in their hearts?

The key here are the words “by faith”. He is talking here about active faith.

Faith that is active steps out and lives out the life of Christ.

How do we live out the life of Christ? By looking outside ourselves and loving people, starting with people in the church.

You will see Christ really dwelling in your heart if your heart is swelling in love for people.

Paul said you may know the love of God that surpasses knowledge. The word for “know”

Know - γινώσκω (ginōskō)

γινώσκω ginōskō

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Having knowledge that is experiential.

You know the saying “practice makes perfect”? You can only be really knowledgeable about a subject matter only if you have applied that knowledge in a practical way. That is why there are internships for students before they actually get into employment in a profession.

So when Paul is saying one “why” of prayer is for us to know the love of God that surpasses knowledge it is not God’s desire for us to only know about the love of God but for us to really experience that love by demonstrating it to others.

The love of God surpasses knowledge.

You have experienced the love of God, now experience giving it.

Faith is not static, it is dynamic and active.

The outcome: That you will be filled with the fullness or completeness of God.

The outcome: That you will be filled with the fullness or completeness of God.

That is godly intercessory prayer. Praying that someone will experience the full measure of God’s blessings.

When Paul prayed this prayer, his heart swelled with so much love for the church that he was praying for that he burst out with a remarkable doxology of praise in verse 20:

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

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.

Now make this personal.

We can have this same attitude in our personal prayer.

When we pray remember that God is able, say it with me “God is able”.

He is able to do far more exceedingly than all that we ask or think!

You know what this means?

What we pray for to God is always beneath what God is able to do in our lives. You cannot ask or even begin to think of the possible ways that God is able to bless you!

Our prayers are so limited and shortsighted because they are based on our own understanding.

There are times that we think God did not answer our prayers but He already did.

Story of Rhoda in Acts 12.

We just always fail to see that greater work that God is doing for you God is preparing you for something greater!

God’s

God can bless you and is willing to bless you beyond measure, you can not even think or ask Him for that blessing that He has in store for you.

Paul said: “according to the power that works within us...”

What about that power, it is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That is no small thing.

If the same power that can bring back someone from the dead that is available to you there is absolutely nothing that God cannot do in your behalf.

Prevailing prayer does not only achieve the impossible, it increases the possible.

In our limited minds, we pray limited prayers and we don’t see that God can do much greater things that we ask for.

God’s answer to prayer is always greater than what we originally ask for.

Seek to see God’s greater work, God does not want you to just live for yourself, he wants you to be a potent force for the Kingdom.

When you pray for something align yourself to God’s Kingdom plan.

When you pray for healing or deliverance tell the Lord that it is because you want to give your life for His greater purpose, that is to be used for His Kingdom.

To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

God’s Name will be renowned not only in your life, but in generation after generation after you.. because of the God Who is able to do beyond measure of what we can ever ask or think.

Amen.