Pauls’ Pattern for Prayer

Parents love their children. When we pray do we pray the best for them or just temporary relief?

We can produce a laundry list of externals to pray for such as finances, protection, healing and help.

But somehow, the list doesn't really express it. Jesus' heart for His people runs much deeper than material and emotional needs, and it's His heart that we want to touch and reflect as we pray.

What does God want for your children.? Begin to study the prayers of Paul and see.

In Ephesians 3:14-16, Paul began one of his most beautiful prayers. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man."

My prayer so often begins with externals. I bow my knees unto the Father and ask Him to grant a host of material and circumstantial needs. Since we live so close with our children, we know the nitty-gritty of their lives, and that's where our focus tends to go.

But Paul didn't have this luxury. He was separated from his churches by a great distance. He didn't know their day-to-day problems, so his prayers had to reach much farther — much deeper — much higher. God, I think, arranged it this way.

Paul's prayers teach us to focus first on the heart: the soul, the "inner man." Let’s not focus primarily on the physical things or changes in circumstance. Our children need mighty hearts. When we're strong inside, we can handle great trials. When the glory of God fills us, its joy and beauty will spill over to meet the difficulties in our paths. That friend struggling with temptation; that sister who has cancer; that young man taking exams: what they need most is to be strengthened with true might, by the Spirit of God, in the deepest places of their hearts.

Prepare Future Celebrations

Sometimes we miss the great emotions and awe in some of the stories we read about Jesus.

Many of us are familiar with the story where Jesus was teaching in a house and the crowd spilled over out into the streets. Mark chapter .

Four friends were carrying their friend on a mat and could not get in that house. So they took the outside stairs to the roof and began divine demolition work!   They likely had to remove tiles and then burrow through the roof to open a hole.

I imagine it filled the house with dust as they dug.  Jesus may have had a little pile of dust on His head as He preached. This was not in the bulletin or order of worship for that day!

Suddenly, they lowered this helpless guy right in front of Jesus!  Kind of hard to ignore.

Jesus looked up and saw the faith of the four friends and said to the man on the mat, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  He knew this man needed forgiveness for sin more than healing.

Then Jesus perceived thoughts of the critics who questioned His authority.  To demonstrate His authority, He spoke words of healing and then man got up in front of everyone and walked away.

They said everyone was amazed and praised God.  Mild understatement.

Try to picture the rooftop celebration. I think the four friends were high fiving and hollering more that Saint’s fans did when Tracy Porter returned an interception for a TD in the Super Bowl!

It’s not hard to imagine the aftermath.  I can picture them running down the stairs and embracing their friend…shouting...crying for joy…loving God.

Do you think this was the last person they ever tried to bring to Jesus?  Not likely. 

So what’s your excuse? 

Don’t want to “offend” a friend by telling them about Jesus?  

Ignore your fears and focus on the celebration some day when you see them again in heaven and rejoice at God’s goodness and grace.  

You too will be shouting…crying for joy…loving God.