The Book of Ephesians Part 6: What Your Prayer Says About Your Faith
The Book of Ephesians Part 6 - What Your Prayer Says About Your Faith
Ephesians 3:14-16
What Your Prayer Says About Your Faith
Prayer is one of the most important disciplines any believer can develop, yet it's often the most challenging. While worship can be as simple as playing music, prayer requires vulnerability, discipline, and intentional time with God. When the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14-15, "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the creator of everything in heaven and on earth," he reveals profound truths about what our prayers communicate about our faith.
What Is Prayer Really?
Prayer, in its most basic definition, is talking to God. It's not meditation or passive reflection - it's direct communication with the invisible yet very real God. Prayer is the primary way believers communicate their emotions and desires with God, creating fellowship with the Creator of the universe.
Just as we intentionally greet one another to acknowledge each other's presence, prayer is our intentional stop in the day to let God know we see Him and desire to communicate with Him.
The Posture of Prayer: What Does Your Body Language Say?
Why Physical Posture Matters
Research shows that 93% of what we communicate happens without words - 55% through body language and 38% through tone. Only 7% comes through our actual words. If this is true in human communication, how much more significant is our posture when communicating with the God of the universe?
Paul demonstrates this when he says, "I fall to my knees and pray." This isn't just about physical positioning - it's about recognizing God's authority while also approaching Him as our loving Father.
Creating Space for Prayer
Just as we seek quiet places for important conversations with friends, effective prayer often requires removing distractions. This means:
- Turning off music and devices for specific prayer times
- Finding a dedicated space where you can focus
- Taking intentional time beyond quick prayers throughout the day
The goal isn't perfect posture but creating an environment where you can surrender fully to God without the daily distractions competing for your attention.
The Person of Prayer: Who Are You Really Praying To?
Father, Not Just Creator
Paul addresses God as both "Father" and "Creator of everything in heaven and on earth." This dual identity is crucial. While God is the all-powerful Creator, He's also our personal, loving Father through adoption into His family.
Not everyone can call someone "father" - it's a special relationship reserved for family members. When we have a relationship with God through Christ, we become heirs to His kingdom, adopted into His family with the privilege of calling Him "Abba, Father."
Who You Pray To Reveals Who You Trust
Who you pray to - and how often you pray - reveals what or who you ultimately trust and value. If you rarely pray, you're communicating that you trust in your own abilities rather than God's provision and guidance.
Everyone surrenders to something, whether they realize it or not. The question is whether you're surrendering to the living God who created all things or to idols of your own making - even if you call them by God's name.
The Purpose of Prayer: What Are You Really Asking For?
Paul's Prison Prayer
When Paul wrote this prayer, he was in prison - not exactly comfortable circumstances. Yet notice what he doesn't pray for: his freedom, his health, his comfort, or his friends. Instead, his prayer centers entirely on his readers' spiritual growth and connection to Christ.
Paul prays that they would:
- Be empowered with inner strength through God's Spirit
- Have Christ make His home in their hearts
- Understand the width, length, height, and depth of God's love
- Experience the love of Christ that surpasses understanding
- Be filled with the fullness of God
Praying for God's Glory
Paul's prayer focuses on God's glory - the visible weight of His worth and importance. He prays for people to see and experience God's glory because he understands that when God's glory dwells among us, everything else falls into place.
This is radically different from prayers that focus primarily on our immediate needs and circumstances. While God cares about our needs and knows them before we ask, prayers centered on His glory and others' spiritual well-being often result in our own needs being met as well.
What Does This Mean for Your Prayer Life?
Moving Beyond Surface-Level Prayers
As we mature in faith, our prayers should deepen beyond "Lord, help me pass my test" or "God, give me what I want." Mature prayer focuses on:
- Others' spiritual growth and salvation
- God's glory being revealed in our communities
- Inner transformation rather than just external circumstances
- Eternal perspectives rather than temporary troubles
The Power of Praying for Others
Consider shifting your prayer focus from primarily asking for yourself to interceding for others. When we pray for others to know Christ, to experience God's love, and to see His glory, we often find our own needs met in the process.
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to transform your prayer life by implementing these three changes:
- Create intentional prayer time - Set aside specific time daily to pray without distractions, even if it's just 10 minutes
- Pray for others more than yourself - Spend more time interceding for others' spiritual needs than asking for your own wants
- Focus on God's glory - Ask God to reveal His glory in your life, family, and community rather than just solving your problems
Questions for Reflection:
- What does your current prayer life reveal about who you really trust?
- When you pray, are you approaching God as the Creator of the universe and your loving Father?
- What would change in your life if you spent more time praying for others' spiritual growth than your own immediate needs?
- How might focusing on God's glory rather than your circumstances transform your perspective on current challenges?
Remember, your prayers reveal the depth of your faith and the object of your trust. Let them reflect a heart surrendered to the God who knows your needs and desires to fill you with His glory.
