Praying for the Glory of God

When we pray, we should come to God with a large view rather than a small one. We should realize that his ability is greater than we can conceive, and his purpose is greater than we tend to recognize.

God's ability is greater than we can conceive. (Eph 3:20)

Paul closed his second prayer of Ephesians with an announcement of praise to God. He didn’t get up from his knees in that damp prison cell doubting if God had heard him or wondering what God would do. He knew that his loving Father in heaven had heard every word and would do – even was already doing – what he had requested. Since he knew he was praying for God’s will, he did not doubt the outcome of his prayer for at least three reasons.

First, Paul knew God was able to fulfill his request. “Now to him who is able” (Eph 3:20). And this is why we pray – in part – to request God to do what we cannot do ourselves.

Second, Paul knew God was able to do far more than he, Paul, had not only asked but was able to conceive. He said, “Exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20). God’s ability and intentions were greater than Paul’s requests. Notice the great expansion of Paul’s request: (1) regarding degree, “exceedingly abundantly above” is a cluster of words that means “super abundantly” or “beyond all measurable degrees,” (2) regarding scope, “all” means “every possibility without exception”, and (3) regarding the nature of the requests, “ask or think” includes not only what we actually ask for but what could conceivably come to our mind. This does not mean that God wants or intends to do all of these possible things but that we can never exhaust his ability by our requests.

Third, Paul knew God was already at work in the believers’ lives to bring these changes about, an allusion perhaps to the Spirit’s empowerment (cf. Eph 3:16). Though God desires our prayers and works in response to them, he does not depend on them. Instead, the effectiveness of our prayers relies upon the non-stop work that God is doing in the church – even in our lives, moving, motivating, and enabling us to pray. When we pray, we do not begin God’s actions for him, we cooperate with what he is already doing and preparing to do.

When we pray, do you limit our prayers to what we merely feel God can do or what we've seen him do before? Or do we pray recognizing that God is able to do things infinitely greater than what we're normally aiming for? We pray for physical healing, for instance, but God may intend to accomplish something greater. I prayed - for instance - for God to provide larger housing space for our growing family, but God answered in such a way that one church - Faith Baptist - was even better positioned for the future and another church - Brookdale Baptist - was able to take steps into the future as well. And by providing us with an unexpected down-payment on a home, God did more than we expected in another way as well, since we had merely expected to rent a larger home.

How may God want to answer your current prayer requests above and beyond the immediate prayers themselves?

God's purpose is greater than we tend to recognize. (Eph 3:21)

As a result, Paul confessed his belief that God deserved and would receive praise in this current age (the church age, from Pentecost to the rapture) and also forever into eternity. According to Harold Hoehner, “glory” here “refers to God’s splendor, power, and radiance.” It reminds us of the awesome greatness and goodness of God that deserves to be seen for what it (he) truly is. This glory would be evident both in (ἐν) the church and in (ἐν) Christ in tandem, showing a close, intimate union of Christ with the church, our shared mission in God’s special program of the ages. When the church does God’s work, it is not only us but Christ who is doing the work.

As we put into practice the kind of prayer that Paul models for us here in Eph 3:14-21, we must keep a crucial perspective in mind – that this prayer concludes the first half of this letter. A commentator, Wallace, calls it “the hinge prayer” that introduces the second half. It’s like a bridge from the first half to the next.

While the first half of the letter reveals the nature of God’s high calling for believers (Eph 1:1-3:21), the second half lays out a series of practical expectations for believers to follow as a result of this calling (Eph 4:1-6:9). The first half gives us the doctrinal foundation and theological perspective, then the second half gives us the practical application for how this teaching should shape and transform how we live. In many ways, as the Ephesian believers (and believers throughout this church age) put into practice what the second half of this letter says, then Paul’s prayer in Eph 3:15-21 is answered.

The radical shift in attitude and lifestyle that the second half of this letter reveals what it looks like to let Christ “make himself at home in our hearts,” to “comprehend more of Christ’s incomprehensible love,” and to become more like God. That’s why many themes of this prayer appear throughout the second half of this letter.

• Consider Eph 5:1-2, for instance. “Be imitators of God as dear children” (Eph 5:1). See the resemblance to “being filled with all the fullness of God?” (Eph 3:19)?
• Then, “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Eph 5:2). See the resemblance with “knowing the love of Christ” (Eph 3:19)?

When we pray, do we focus diminutively on our needs unable to see any more than the feelings within or the circumstances immediately before us? Or do we pray with the aim of God receive the greatest possible glory through our requests and the answers? Do we pray as though God's great power and love will become more plainly seen as a result of our prayers?