With Paul in the School of Prayer

Let’s change it up this week and move from the Psalms and turn to Ephesians 3:14-21 and study one of my favorite prayers of Paul. Let me start with an observation, I’ve never met a child of God that seems truly satisfied with their prayer life. Even those who spend great amounts of time in prayer never seem to feel as if they have their prayer life together.

Over the years I’ve bought and read more books on prayer than probably any other topic, but I’ve found that I learn more from Paul in the school of prayer than from anyone else. This morning we come to the second prayer of Paul in this great letter and in this prayer we much to help us in our own prayer life.

Notice, for the second time in this chapter we find the words, “For this reason.” Paul spoke of the people of God—Jews and Gentiles—as the Kingdom, the Family, and the Temple of God at the end of chapter 2. He was about to go straight into this prayer, look at 3:1, “For this reason,” but the Spirit led him to speak more about the mystery of the gospel as it was revealed to Paul, but now he comes back to his prayer.

In verses 14 and 15 we find these words,

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”

Notice the posture of prayer mentioned here—“I bow my knees.” The most common way for a Jewish man of Paul’s day to pray was to pray standing, but here Paul says he bows his knees. This isn’t a prescription for all prayer, but it is a hint to the attitude of prayer—we don’t always have to kneel to pray, but we must always come in humility and in submission to the King of kings.

Notice also the One to whom he prays—“before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named—a family is any group with a common ancestor—I really think Paul is simply saying God is the creator of all…every one in Heaven and on earth comes from Him. He bows his knees, and he prays to his Father who is in Heaven—the Creator and Lord of all. We come humbly, but as we saw last week we come boldly because He has granted us access and we come with confidence because He is our Father.

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