DAY 1 –
JANUARY 16
TITLE: “I
PRAY”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 3:16-19
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 1:16
KEY VERSE: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he
may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians
1:16
What
does prayer really involve? When someone says, “I am praying for you,” what
does that really mean? When you say to someone, “I am praying for you,” what
does that prayer for them look like? Paul begins this verse by saying, “I pray.”
To get a better handle on what that means, I would like to look back at the two
verses preceding this verse. They read, “For
this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and
on earth derives its name.” Ephesians 3:14-15. Paul begins by saying, “For this reason.” Clearly,
Paul is praying with a purpose. He is motivated to pray for the Ephesians, who
are now part of the household of God as full members, through faith.
Paul
then says that he kneels. This is the only place in Scripture that Paul makes
reference to his posture in prayer. In Scripture, positions like prostration,
kneeling, and standing are mentioned. I Kings 8:54 tells us that Solomon was
kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven during his dedicatory prayer
for the temple. Kneeling in prayer was a position used by Daniel as well as by
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. Paul knelt while
praying during his last visit with the people from Ephesus, as recorded in Acts
20:36. Paul was a man on his knees, praying fervently and earnestly for the
church. One person once said, “Get on your knees and fight like a man.” Another said, “Want to stay on your toes? Get
on your knees.” Ethel Barrymore said, “When life knocks you to your knees, it
the best position in which to pray.” Hymn writers, William Cowper and John
Newton said, “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.”
Kneeling
is a position of honor. It is a position of surrender and humility. Through the
centuries, kneeling has become an accepted and common practice among Christians.
D.L. Moody said, “The Christian on his
knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe.” History records, an early
church father by the name of Euseibus desired it as a custom proper for Christians.
Though the position does not determine the outcome of prayer, it does reveal
Paul’s passion and heart in prayer. Praying for the church is something Paul
took seriously.
The
recipient of Paul’s prayer was the Father. Paul understood the supreme position
of the Father in the total scheme of creation and salvation. As one person
said, “Paul is praying to Father God, the source of all, who was, is, or ever
will be.” Prayer is a wonderful privilege.
Through prayer, we can communicate to the Father, from whom His whole family in
heaven and on earth derives its name. Through prayer, we can impact others in
significant and meaningful ways. Your
prayers matter and make a difference. May it be said about each of us, “I pray”.
As Alan Redpath
suggested, “Let’s keep our chins up and our knees down-we’re on the victory
side!”
DAY
2 – JANUARY 17
TITLE:
“STRENGTHENED WITH POWER THROUGH HIS SPIRIT””
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 3:16-19
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 1:16
KEY
VERSE: “I pray that out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner
being.” Ephesians 1:16
The
church needed spiritual power and God could provide it. Back in 2001, the term
“rolling black-outs” became popular in parts of California, where we lived at
the time, because of power shortages. There were times when there was a power
black-out and no power was available. God never says to His church, “I am
sorry, church, but I am a little short on power.” His power comes out of His
glorious riches. God never says, “Try not to need any energy or spiritual power
during that time.” Nor does He ever say, “I am sorry; there is not enough power
for you.” If there is a power shortage, it is not God’s fault.
Paul
is praying that the church would be made strong and capable. The church needed
spiritual power. Paul is praying the church may be equipped with the power
(Dunamis) that makes them able to stand firm in Christ, and to live and work
for Him. There is no substitute or generic brand for spiritual power in a life
or in the church. We need the real power of God in our lives, the Holy Spirit.
We cannot do divine things with human strength.
Scripture
tells us of a group of people who, when they returned home, found themselves
heartbroken and distraught. Something terrible had taken place while they were
gone from home. I Samuel 30 records the story of David
and his men returning home to Ziklag to find it had been destroyed by fire and
their wives, sons and daughters taken captive. David and his men wept aloud
until they had no strength left to weep. David was greatly distressed because
the men were talking of stoning him: each one was bitter in spirit because of
his loss of sons and daughters. Scripture then gives us this wonderful
description. It says, “But David found
strength in the Lord his God.” I Samuel 30:6.
Perhaps
you can think of a recent time when you have been there and found it true.
In
the middle of the night, when you were alone, God was there. When you went
through the death of a loved one, God was there. When your kids are breaking
your heart, God is there. The Apostle
Paul is praying for the strength to do what is right even when everything is
going wrong.
II
Timothy 4:16-17 records an example in the life of Paul when God gave him
strength. The scripture says, “At my
first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not
be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side
and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed
and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.”
II Timothy 4:16-17. This kind of spiritual power and strength comes from
within. Christians need a strong interior.
God
strengthens us through His Spirit in our inner being. It is the specific
emphasis of the teaching of the New Testament that strength for the Christian
life comes by the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Paul is praying that
the God of abundant resources would strengthen them through His Spirit in the
core of their being.
DAY
3 – JANUARY 18
TITLE:
“IS YOUR HEART HIS HOME?”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 3:16-19
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 3:17
KEY
VERSE: “…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray
that you, being rooted and established in love,” Ephesians 3:17
Paul
is praying for Christ to take up residence in their hearts. The point is that
Christ desires to abide or dwell in the heart. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “To them God has chosen to make known among
the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the
hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27. Your heart is to be the residence of
Christ. The Lord wants to make our hearts His home.
The
idea of dwelling, besides connoting decisive and critical action, the word
means “permanent residence” as opposed to “temporary sojourn.” Christ has come
to abide, not visit. He wants to make your heart His permanent address and
home. The Lord does not desire to be just a guest in the home of our
hearts. He wants to take up residence
through faith.
If
you came over to our house, we would say, “Make yourself at home.” However, if
you started going up into our bedroom and looking through the drawers, you
would be crossing our comfort zone. If you came and never planned to leave, we
would begin to feel uncomfortable. Our invitation was to make yourself at home
while you are there, not to make our house your home.
Jesus
does not come as a visitor. We cannot put Jesus on “guest” status in the home
of our hearts. The Lord wants to move in with all His belongings and attributes
and live in the home of our heart. Faith prepares the heart for His dwelling
and enables Him to take up residence. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.
Church
reformer, Martin Luther said, “God our Father has made all things depend on
faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have
faith will have nothing.” Faith is
described as the requirement on man’s side, the attitude that receives Him.
Faith makes room for Christ to dwell. John Calvin said, “Faith is not a distant
view but a warm embrace of Christ.” Faith believes Christ can take up residence
in you. Faith opens up the door that enables Christ to take up residence. Jesus
said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with
him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20.
When
we moved to Medford we went looking at homes, trying to find the home that
seemed right for us. Christ is looking for the home that is right for Him to
dwell in. He wants to dwell in the home that is right for the Jehovah-Tsidkenu,
the God of righteousness. He is looking to dwell in the home right for the
Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Jehovah who sanctifies, for He is the Holy God. He is
looking for a home for the Jehovah-Shalom, the God of Peace, to dwell. The Lord
wants to make your heart His home. Is your heart His home?
DAY
4 – JANUARY 19
TITLE:
“LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 3:16-19
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 3:18-19
KEY
VERSE: “…may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and
long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that
surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness
of God.” Ephesians 3:18-19
Paul
is praying that all saints may grasp the greatness of God’s love in all its
dimensions. No other love can compare to the love of Christ. His love surpasses
knowledge exceeding one’s capacity of comprehension. This love of Christ is far
beyond the rational limits of intellect or theory. The love of God cannot be
contained in the head. Without Christ, the depths of His love will not be
known. The definite goal to which the Christian life must move is for his
readers to know the love of Christ, to know how He loved and loves, and to
experience His love, in loving Him and loving others for His sake. I John 3:1
exclaims, “How great is
the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God!” Writing about this
love to the church at Rome, Paul said, “No,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I
am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39.
One
summer, when our daughter, Amanda, was little, I set out a little pool that was
about 18 inches deep for Amanda to “swim” and play in. One day, she said, “Daddy,
come in the pool and swim with me.” As I looked at her little 18-inch deep
pool, I knew that it was impossible for me to swim with her in that pool. At
best, I could get in and splash the water around. Her 18-inch pool was full of
limitations. That same summer, we took her to the swimming pool at the college
in the neighboring town. There, swimming took on a whole new understanding and
possibility.
The
pool of God’s love is deeper than we can ever go. God’s love is not some little
18-inch deep pool that we can just splash and play in. His love is deep. Paul
is praying that the church would know and experience the greatness of His
exceedingly great and divine love.
Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of
heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling; All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion; Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart.
Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and
spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation; Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed
from glory into glory; Till in heaven we take our place;
Till we cast our crowns before Thee; Lost in wonder, love, and praise. (Charles
Wesley)
DAY 5 –
JANUARY 20
TITLE:
“FILLED WITH THE FULLNESS OF GOD”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “…and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be
filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19
The climax of
the apostle’s prayer for his fellow Christians is that they might be filled
with all the fullness of God. Being filled carries the general idea of
fulfillment. As one person commented, “Paul’s request is that we be completely
fulfilled by all that God has for us.”
Paul’s prayer
is that we will be filled with God. The prayer is not that we have a little of
God. His prayer is that we are filled to the brim with the fullness of God. The
Message paraphrases this thought, saying, “Live
full lives, full in the fullness of God.” Jesus said, ‘I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full.’” John 10:10.
When I was a little child, we used to sing a
song in Sunday school. The words, as I
remember them, were, “Running over,
running over, my cup is full and running over. Since the Lord saved me, I’m as
happy as could be. My cup is full and running over.” Another chorus I used
to sing as a kid had these words, “It’s
bubbling. It’s bubbling; it’s bubbling in my soul I’m singing, and shouting, since
Jesus made me whole. Some folks don’t understand it nor can I keep it
quiet! It’s bubbling, bubbling,
bubbling, bubbling, bubbling day and night.”
Some years
ago now, I had the privilege of speaking at a large church in Southern
California for a special children’s outreach day they were having. The
children’s pastor had a large chest of candy that he was using that day with
the children. A little girl came up and asked him if she could have a piece of
candy. He told the little girl she could reach in and get a handful. The little
girl reached in and took a little handful of candy. He said, “That’s not good
enough,” and then said, “Let me help.” He took both of his big hands and
scooped up a giant handful of candy and poured it into her hands and arms. She
could not hold the entire amount of candy he poured out for her.
God has so
much more than we could ever grasp or hold. He wants to fill us with the
fullness of God. Christians are promised fire, not a feeble flicker; light
blazing, not dim–like that of a city set upon a hill; joy, not momentary happiness,
abiding joy which flows from the satisfaction of our hungering and thirsting
for God; radiant excitement like that of a man finding a treasure hidden in the
field.
“This is the secret of the holy,
Not our holiness, but Him.
Jesus! Empty us and fill us
With Thy fullness to the brim.”