LeaderLines: “When Leaders Pray, Week Seven”

We’re taking a few weeks in LeaderLines to go through some of the prayers the Apostle Paul expressed for his people in his letters. These prayers can serve as a valuable guide in your own prayers. The prayer recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21 is so rich that I’ve meditated over it for four weeks in my LeaderLines articles—

I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 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. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

If you want to learn how to pray for other believers, this beautiful heartcry gives us training in the right posture, the fitting petitions, and the worthy praise of intercessory prayer.

Posture: When you pray for other believers, you must kneel with the shamelessness of a beggar. We looked at this in detail three weeks ago.

Petitions: When you pray for other believers, ask that they might experience God’s power and God’s love. Two weeks ago we looked at Paul’s prayer for power, and last week we looked his prayer for love.

Praise: When you pray for other believers, know that you are bringing your requests to a great God! In verses 20-21, Paul concluded his prayer in this way:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Notice that the God to whom you pray is a God who can do immeasurably more than all we ask for even imagine asking. The Greek word we translate “immeasurably more” is huperekperissou. It’s a lively combination of four words: huper means “above,” ek means “out of,” and peri means “around.” So Paul is saying that God is able to do “above, out of, and around” all things which we ask or even think to ask.

This word demolishes most of our prayers! Most of us calculate the risks, assess the data, consult the experts, determine the probabilities and then formulate a request that we feel is practical enough to lift up to God. When we look at Paul’s robust confidence in God, J.B. Phillips was right: our God is too small!

I challenge you to voice this prayer on behalf of a beloved believer today. Below, I’ve provided a blank wherever “you” shows up in the text. Replace the blanks below with the name of the person and then forward this e-mail to him or her:

I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen ________ with power through his Spirit in ________’s inner being, so that Christ may dwell in ________’s heart through faith. And I pray that ________, being rooted and established in love, 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 ________ may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

God’s richest blessings on your prayer life!
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.