As I reflect on Sundays message I started to look for some of the biggest prayers in the Bible. I began in the New Testament and found 4 separate prayers that will have you praying bigger than ever before. As a starting point for Big, I don’t think you get a whole lot bigger. Here they are and why I picked them:
Ephesians 1:16-20 “16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places…”
First this prayer continues the theme we explored from Luke 11 (and credit to Andy Stanley) About Ask, Seek, Knock, Repeat. Then we see a bold request for the essential and mysterious. Wisdom, Our Hearts wide open to the Hope we have in Christ, and a sense of God’s immeasurable greatness and power.
Ephesians 3:16-19 “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 xthe 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.”
Humility marks this prayer with reference to bended knee before our Heavenly Father. Then From a humble position we see a petition for strength and power…but having that grounded in love. Then a jump to understanding the scope and scale of our God and His love so we may be full of nothing more than Him alone. I will say that we fill ourselves with a lot of things these days that are far from character of God and it has to sadden the heart of Jesus when he sees that happening. This is a prayer that will reorient our lives…pray it if you dare!
Philippians 1:9-11 “9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Love, Love, and More Love. Then love in partnership with knowledge and discernment. All for the purpose of ordering our steps in a blameless manner. Purity is something to be grasped but many pastors and churches sell you short in this area because they don’t want you to be crushed when you don’t achieve it. Why? Wouldn’t God be crushed if we sinned and strayed from purity? Let us pursue righteousness and when we settle for anything less, let’s pray this prayer and return to righteousness for His name’s sake!
Colossians 1:9-12 “9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
A repetition of many of our earlier themes with a bent on thanksgiving. Pray with a thankful heart these 4 big prayers and strive for the elements in each. Pray them for yourself, others, and even strangers and let’s anxiously await the work of God through His prayerful people!
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