I also pray for…

Ephesians 1:19-23

Verses 19-20  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

    We have been learning about Paul’s prayers for his friends in Ephesus and today we finish looking at the three requests that he prayed so we can pray them for our friends, and ourselves too.

    This final thing on Paul’s prayer list for his friends is for them to understand the power of God.  He explains that this is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.  Have you ever thought about what kind of power was needed to raise Jesus from the dead?  Such power would definitely be a sight to behold!  Not only did it raise Him from the dead, it raised Him to His seat in Heaven.  This is a power that defeats the enemy’s game plan.  The enemy would like nothing more than to bring death to every person on earth but God wanted more for His children and so He used His power, the mightiest of all powers and He destroyed death once and for all.

    If we are going to follow Paul’s example of how to pray for our friends we need to want them to understand this power of God.  It is in understanding this power that we can understand what Christ’s sacrifice really brings into our life.  We too often take our standing with God for granted and sometimes even flippantly.  We are so used to the idea that Jesus came and died for our sins that we don’t give much thought to the fact that though His sacrifice was sufficient to pay for our sins, His resurrection plays the ultimate role in our having eternal life.

    This power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that put Jesus in authority in Heaven.  This power should bring us to our knees in worship.  He has conquered death and the enemy’s power through death.  We have hope for being resurrected ourselves because of this power.  Through this power Jesus defeated death so we can live forever with Him.  Now that should inspire worship!

Making It Personal

    Are you praying that your friends understand the incredible power of God?  Are you praying to understand this power yourself?  How do you think understanding this power would change the way you live and worship?

Making It Personal Kids

    Have you ever thought about how powerful God is?  What do you think God can overpower?  What do you think is the most powerful thing God has done?

Closing Prayer

    Father, Your power is beyond our comprehension.  We can’t thank You enough for using Your power to conquer death so that we can join You for eternity.  How can we worship You enough?  In Jesus’ name, amen.