COMPREHENDING THE MAGNITUDE

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Devotion 3 of 20

FOR THIS CAUSE

    Insightful prayers are motivated by a heavenly cause--even more than by need! Most prayer requests I hear are motivated by temporal need--and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, particularly when you are the one in need. However, much more than this can be realized in our prayers. Crisis is certainly a time to pray, but it is not the only time to pray, nor is it the best time to pray.

    The "cause" that undergirded Paul's insightful prayer is found in the second chapter of Ephesians. There he proclaims the acceptance of the Gentiles, who formerly were "separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world" (v. 12).  Now, in Christ, the Gentiles have equal privileges with believing Jews. By faith in Christ, they have been brought near to God, and have right to the good things of the new covenant. How wonderfully it is stated. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13). And again, "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (Eph 3:6).

    It is one thing to have right to the good things of God, it is quite another to possess them. Paul sought to bring the Ephesians to the cherished blessing. They needed more than a precise theological statement, or a flawless position. Salvation not only changes our status before God, it brings individuals into participation with Him. This is referred to as fellowship with His Son (1 Cor 1:9), and participation in the Divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).

    You will find Paul's penchant for correcting a deficiency in this aspect of the Kingdom throughout his epistles. For him, it was not enough for the people to be delivered from the guilt of sin. He was not content for them to know "the elementary teaching about the Christ" (Heb 6:1)--a condition satisfying enough for those with an institutional emphasis. In his prayers, Paul revealed the degree to which he had "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16).

    Notice the spiritual posture of the Apostle: "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of (from) whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (derives its name, NASB)" (3:14-15). His prayers were dictated by his submission to the Almighty. They were not crisis- driven, but insight-driven! They were a form of fellowship with Christ, into which believers have all been called (1 Cor 1:9). The "care" for all the churches that came on Paul every day prompted him to pray insightful prayers.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Christ, I thank You for raising up godly men and women who pray with Your purpose in mind.

-- Tomorrow: GRACE AND TRUTH --