“EMPOWERING YOUR PRAYER LIFE”

Hindu Worship Service In Nepal

Relate:
One of the things that I enjoy most in life is doing mission work for the Lord with my wife, Gayla. It’s amazing how much you learn about yourself when working with people who are so different than you are.

My life is so much richer because of the international friendships that we have developed through the years.

For instance, our Jordanian friend, Belal, educated me on the fact that his religion requires him to pray 5 times a day while Kneeling  on a small rug, bowing towards Mecca. Thanks for the prayer rug, Belal.

Jit With His Sister Sita In Katmandu

Our Nepalese son and friend, Jit, taught me that his former religion encouraged him to pray to any of their 330 million gods while burning incense in a little home altar called a “puja”. Jit, our dear brother in Christ, we are so glad that you came to know the one true God!

On the campus of NMSU, we’ve recently  met Om, who helped us understand that his religion does not necessarily believe in prayer. Instead, they are taught to look within themselves for the answers of life and eternity.

Then, we have our precious Egyptian friends, Mauhfouz and his wife, Mariam, who are truly committed to their religion, to the one true God and to prayer. Thank you for your example of what it is to be a person of prayer and for our friendship! 

Read: Ephesians 3:14-21

Research: Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians

Pastors Wife Ministering

(vv. 14-15) The family of God includes all who have believed in him in the past, all who presently believe, and all who will believe in the future. We are all a family because we have the same Father. He is the source of all creation, the rightful owner of everything. God promises his love and power to his family, the church (3:16-21). If we want to receive God’s blessings, it is important that we stay in contact with other believers in the body of Christ. Those who isolate themselves from God’s family and try to go it alone cut themselves off from God’s power.

(vv. 17-19) God’s love is total and complete says Paul. It reaches every corner of our experience. It is wide–it covers the breadth of our own experience, and it reaches out to the whole world. God’s love is long–it continues the length of our lives. It is high–it rises to the heights of our celebration and elation. His love is deep–it reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death. When you feel shut out or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God’s love. For another prayer about God’s immeasurable and inexhaustible love, see Paul’s words in Romans 8:38, 39.

(v. 19) This “fullness” is fully expressed only in Christ (Colossians 2:9, 10). In union with Christ and through his empowering Spirit, we are complete. We have all the fullness of God available to us. But we must appropriate that fullness through faith and through prayer as we daily live for him. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is also for you. You can ask the Holy Spirit to fill every aspect of your life to the fullest.

(vv. 20-21) This doxology– a prayer of praise to God–ends Part 1 of Ephesians. In the first section, Paul described the timeless role of the church. In Part 2 (chapters 4-6), he explains how church members should live in order to bring about the unity God wants. As in most of his books, Paul first lays a solid doctrinal foundation and then makes practical applications of the truths he has presented.

Reflect:

• How do you picture God?

Respond: 

• What does it mean to you to have God’s “Spirit in your inner being” (v. 16)?
• When have you felt overwhelmed by the love of God?
• What stands out to you in Paul’s doxology prayer? Why? (vv. 14-21)
• How would a person who does not share your belief system or your world view, describe your prayer life? Why?

Request:

• If a person only knew rejection and pain in their relationships, how can this person come to understand the love of God in a personal way? How can you help? 

Some excerpts from “Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan