{"id":853,"date":"2019-03-02T14:27:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-02T13:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/enviedeprier.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=853"},"modified":"2019-03-02T14:27:07","modified_gmt":"2019-03-02T13:27:07","slug":"7-god-can-achieve-the-impossible-with-your-prayers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/enviedeprier.com\/wordpress\/en\/cultivate-your-prayer-life\/7-god-can-achieve-the-impossible-with-your-prayers\/","title":{"rendered":"7. God can achieve the impossible with your prayers!"},"content":{"rendered":"

God can achieve the impossible with your prayers!<\/span><\/h1>\n

Through our prayers, God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask, imagine or hope <\/em>(according to Paul, Ephesians 3:20).<\/p>\n

This is great news which should motivate and \u201cgalvanise\u201d us! God is not only able to respond to our prayers, he can also do immeasurably more than we ask, imagine or think! Paul\u2019s affirmation should encourage us, \u201cboost\u201d us and propel us into fervent, persevering and joyful prayer. Paul is in prison and awaiting his sentence. He could easily have become discouraged but, instead, he asks Christians at the church in Ephesus not to become discouraged! Surprising, isn\u2019t it? Paul prays for them with precision and profoundness. Paul\u2019s prayer is interesting because it gives us important information about the motivation behind and fervour of his prayer life. Note the object of his prayer: Christians. And how does he pray for them? He requests three kinds of plenitude: to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit; to have Christ live in their hearts; and to know the fullness of God. What depth !<\/p>\n

Motivation<\/span><\/h1>\n

To pray, we need to be fully motivated. Praying should not be a legalistic duty or a burden. No, praying should be a desire which springs from our hearts when we think of what God has done for us. The Reformer Calvin spoke of prayer as an affectionate reaching out or impetus towards God.<\/p>\n

In Ephesians 3:1 and 3:14, Paul reveals the source of motivation when he says \u201cfor this reason\u201d, in other words God\u2019s plan, this wonderful fresco which he has just painted, the accomplishment of God\u2019s plan which began with the creation of the world and which continues forever and ever. In Ephesians 1, we discover that, through Jesus, he chose us before the creation of the world, through him we have received forgiveness and an inheritance, through him we have life and are integrated into a spiritual family. We are no longer strangers, homeless orphans but fellow citizens with the saints! \u00a0We are no longer controlled and manipulated by the devil but filled, directed and animated by the Holy Spirit. We were dust but God made us into living stones placed upon a solid foundation: Jesus Christ who is at once the architect, builder and cornerstone of this building, his Church.<\/p>\n

This is why Paul is transported, overcome by waves of God\u2019s infinite riches, his unfathomable and incomprehensible work which is now available to us. Paul launches into a fervent and rich prayer for Christians. What motivates him? He has an in-depth knowledge of and complete confidence in God\u2019s ability and the unlimited resources he has to respond to our prayers! Motivation to pray and my knowledge of God are closely linked \u2013 it\u2019s the spring board for a rich and profound prayer life.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s pray that God renews your confidence in his ability to respond to our prayers!<\/p>\n

Who does he pray to? God the father<\/span><\/h1>\n

The heavenly father, the great God who knows and sees all is not only our heavenly father but also the affectionate father who leans closer to his children to listen and respond to their prayers: \u201cI love the Lord, for he heard my voice\u201d (Psalms 116:1). As Corrie Ten Boom said, the important thing in prayer is not having great faith, but having a little faith in a God who is GREAT.<\/p>\n

The object of his prayer: Christians<\/span><\/h1>\n

The priority of his prayers and those of Jesus is Christians. Why Christians? Because, as Christians, we are the vehicle for the evangelisation of the world and the vehicle has to be in good condition!<\/p>\n

1. Strength (v.16)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cstrengthen you with power through his Spirit\u201d where? In your inner being. What is our inner being? It is the part of us which perceives God (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) and which needs to be renewed every day. It is the part of our being where our intelligence (our emotions), our feelings (our private thoughts) can be found. Why does Paul focus on our inner being? Jesus answers this question: \u201cFor it is from within, out of a person\u2019s heart, that evil thoughts come\u2014sexual immorality, theft, murder\u2026 (Mark 7:21). This is where all the battles are fought. The devil aims his fiery arrows at our emotions, thoughts and desires to destabilise our inner being. He sows doubt, accuses us and makes us feel guilty. His aim is to spread discord in our hearts! Paul calls upon the Holy Spirit to strengthen our inner being.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s stop for a moment and ask God to fortify your inner being through the Holy Spirit. At the same time, pray for a brother or sister in the church in this way: with power!<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0A constant presence: \u201cso that Christ may dwell in your hearts\u201d (v.17)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is Christ\u2019s constant presence in all the nooks and crannies of our hearts which makes all the difference \u2013 to our thoughts, words, attitudes and behaviour. So let\u2019s pray that we can let Christ reign in us, take up all the space and be the master in us.<\/p>\n

3. Depth and stability: \u201cbeing rooted and established in love\u201d (v.17)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The word \u201crooted\u201d evokes agriculture. It evokes the idea of a tree or a rich, fertile, strong vine which bears fruit. Then \u201cestablished\u201d is linked to the architecture of a building which makes us think of a building with strong and solid foundations. So let\u2019s pray that all our actions have their roots in the love of Christ. It is this love which allows us to bear the fruits of the Spirit (with their nine qualities: Galatians 2:22). Let\u2019s also pray that we can find real stability, an anchoring, security in Christ and be unwavering when the day comes \u2013 the day of temptation, the day of discouragement, the day when the storm rages!<\/p>\n

4. Comprehend Christ\u2019s love (v.18)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The word comprehension, in Latin, is \u201cprehendere<\/em>\u201d. A monkey\u2019s tail is \u201cprehensile<\/em>\u201d, a tail which is able to grasp a tree branch on the move, to cling to it. Paul prays that the Christians will grasp and comprehend the love of Christ. It is beyond us because divine love has four dimensions: width, length, depth and height.<\/p>\n

Wide<\/em><\/strong> to embrace all of humanity.<\/p>\n

Long <\/em><\/strong>to last for eternity.<\/p>\n

Deep <\/em><\/strong>to reach the person furthest from God, who is at the bottom of the abyss, at the door of hell!<\/p>\n

High<\/em><\/strong> so that we can reign with Jesus in the heavens.<\/p>\n

It is not what I do for Jesus that is important in Christian life, but what he has done for me. It is when we understand God\u2019s love for us and Christ\u2019s love that it \u2018clicks\u2019 and everything begins to make sense. When Count von Zinzendorf realises what Christ did for him he falls to his knees before a painting of Christ on the cross. Because he comprehends Christ\u2019s love for him. He becomes a Christian with unfaltering zeal. Through prayer, he brought about the greatest missionary wave, reaching the ends of the earth, in the world\u2019s history!<\/p>\n

5. Living in the fullness of God<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Paul not only requests knowledge, but also that Christians might be filled with \u201call the fullness of God\u201d, filled with God\u2019s love: it is in Christ that God\u2019s fullness resides (Colossians 2:9). So we need to receive the words of Jesus, listen to him, obey his voice, speak to him, walk with him, and this is how we can experience the fullness of God.<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/span><\/h1>\n

Speak Lord because your servant is listening. Help me to draw close to you today, no matter what the circumstances!<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/h1>\n

Notice the list of God\u2019s abilities in Ephesians 3:20, they should encourage us!<\/p>\n

God can do all of that?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Note:<\/p>\n