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What Paul prayed for … and what I pray for you (Ephesians 1:15-19)

By Jeremy Myers
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What Paul prayed for … and what I pray for you (Ephesians 1:15-19)
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Ephesians 1:15-19 contains a list of things that Paul prays for. Seeing this helps us know what we can pray for as well. In fact, I do pray for these exact things, not only for myself, but also for everyone who reads my writings or listens to my teachings. So join me in this study of Ephesians 1:15-19 to discover what I pray for you! Before we get to that, however, we answer a question from a reader about what is going on in life and whether or not he will ever bear fruit again for the kingdom.

Prayer Requests

Question about Bearing Fruit

Hi Jeremy, been a believer for 12 years now. I’m 40 years old. For the first 4 years I walked with the Lord, God gave me a ministry and people were just drawn to me and were getting saved.

Then I fell into grievous sin, drunkenness, and fornication (not to do with my ministry). My heart hardened and anger developed. My ministry slowly disappeared and so did God using me. I repented in deep tears for years.

Then I got extremely ill for the last 6 years and feel like God purged my anger through this.

However, I’m not being used by God, have no direction. I go to church but that is it.

Will God put me back into service after being a castaway? Will he give me a place in his kingdom again? I lost hope for that and it scares me thinking I lost his trust.

I want to serve him, the fruits of the Spirit have left me.

Can I get the fruits back? I’m not living in any known sin and haven’t for years, yet there is sin I don’t know in me so I’m not sinless by any means, I repent daily.

Please let me know what you think.

I am sorry to hear about what is going on in your life and your ongoing illness. Let me address a few of your concerns and then answer your question.

John 15 vine and branchesFirst, God is not angry at you. He is not punishing you for your sin. Sin bears its own punishment with it, and since sin hurts us, God is angry at sin, because He does not want us, as the objects of His love, to get hurt. Read some of the linked articles to learn more about this.

Second, a lack of a ministry or a lack of obvious fruit does not mean you are not growing or are not producing fruit. You say you are not producing fruit, but you also say that you are repenting of sin in your life as you become aware of it. Well, repentance is a proper response to sin when God makes us aware of it. This is a good sign. Also, you seem to be learning patience in waiting on God’s timing. Well, patience is a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. So go a bit easier on yourself. You are doing just fine.

Third, are you where you want to be right now? No. None of us are. But that’s okay. That is part of the process of discipleship. Think of discipleship like the four seasons. You are in a winter right now. But spring is coming. And you cannot get to the spring where things are alive and growing unless you first go through the dark and cold winter. So again, use this time to develop patience and perseverance so that you will be ready to spring to life when the ground thaws.

Remember, God is a vinedresser, and He prunes the branches (you) so that you can produce fruit (John 15:1-8). You are in a pruning period right now. If you are connected to Jesus, the Vine, then fruit will follow.

Bottom line: Continue to be patient and repent of sin as it is pointed out to you by the indwelling Holy Spirit. These are all stages of preparation that God needs to take with you so that you can have a beautiful spring and summer and produce a great harvest in the fall.

What Paul Prayed For (Ephesians 1:15-19)

A shortened version of the sermon on the same passage, which can be found here: The Believer’s Bankbook: Ephesians 1:15-19.

Ephesians 1 15-19

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is one of those books in the Bible that tells us something about our spiritual wealth. Paul has explained in Ephesians 1:3-14 what some of our spiritual riches are. Now, in Ephesians 1:15-19, he reveals one of the purposes for our spiritual possessions. Paul talks about what this purpose is by telling the Ephesian Christians that he is praying for them.

Ephesians 1:15-16. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Although they were doing the things they were doing for the glory of God, Paul praises and encourages them to continue on.

Eph

In Ephesians 1:15, Paul says that the Ephesians have been glorifying God through their faith and through their love. Ephesians 1:16 shows that when Paul heard about this, he glorified God through his prayers. He is glorifying God, praising God, giving thanks to God for the faith and love of the Ephesian believers.

And then in Ephesians 1:17-19, Paul tells them exactly what he prays for.

There are several places in Ephesians where Paul states what he prays for. I find all of these to be significant, because when we see what Paul prays for it, this can help us know what we should pray for also.

Also, I like the prayers of Paul in Ephesians because what he prays for in regard to his Ephesian audience is exactly what I pray for regarding you. When I write books, website articles, or teach podcasts or online courses for my discipleship group, I have the same desires and prayers in mind that Paul states here. I want the same things for you that Paul wanted for the Ephesians Christians.

In Ephesians 1:17-19 Paul has one main prayer request, with three specific items in that request.

Paul prays for a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17)

Paul prays that they may gain the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

In the NIV, the word Spirit is capitalized. This means that the translators thought that Paul was referring here to the wisdom and revelation that comes with the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 does say that when the Spirit comes, He will guide you into all truth. So if this is how Paul meant it, he is praying that the Holy Spirit would guide them into wisdom and revelation.

On the other hand, some of your translations might not have it capitalized. In this case, they take spirit to mean more like the character or nature of a person. We use spirit this way all the time. When we say “That person has spirit!” or “What a loving spirit he has” we don’t mean the Holy Spirit, but are talking about the person’s character or nature which makes them who they are.

I think that this second option is probably the better one. We have already seen from verses 13-14 that the third blessing we have in Christ is the Sealing of the Spirit, or a deposit—which is the Holy Spirit within us. Paul would not say in verses 13-14 that all believers have the Spirit, and then pray here in verse 17 for God to give them the Spirit. They already have the Spirit! They don’t need Him, but they do need to use what comes with Him.

Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17 that we would develop our new nature, our new character, our new spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Wisdom is knowledge of the true nature of things. It is spiritual depth perception. It is applied knowledge.

Revelation, of course, is knowledge that comes only from God. Harry Ironside tells the story of a time when he was first beginning to pastor as a young man, and he went home to California to visit his family and found a man of God living nearby who was from Northern Ireland. He was very sick, and had come to California hoping that the weather would aid his health.

He lived, by his own desire, in a small tent out under the olive trees a short distance from the home. Ironside went to see him there, and he remembers how he could see the thin, worn face upon which the peace of heaven was clearly seen. His name was Andrew Fraser. He could barely speak above a whisper, for his lungs were almost gone, but Ironside remembers how, after a few words of introduction, the old man said to him, “Young man, you are trying to preach Christ; are you not?”

“Yes, I am” he replied.

“Well,” the old man whispered, “sit down a little, and let us talk together about the Word of God.” He opened his well-worn Bible, and until his strength was gone, simply, sweetly, and earnestly he opened up truth after truth as he turned from one passage to another, in a way that Ironside had never seen before.

“Before I realized it,” says Ironside, “tears were running down my face, and I asked, ‘Where did you get these things? Could you tell me where I could find a book that would open them up to me? Did you learn them in some seminary or college?’ I shall never forget his answer.”

“My dear young man, I learned these things on my knees on the mud floor of a little sod cottage in the north of Ireland. There, with my Bible open before me, I used to kneel for hours at a time, and ask the Spirit of God to reveal Christ to my soul and to open the Word to my heart, and He taught me more on my knees on that mud floor than I ever could have learned in all the seminaries or colleges in the world” (Ironside, 86-87).

This man had the spirit of wisdom and revelation that comes from spending time with God and His Word. There is no spiritual short cut here. It comes only with discipline and time.

I can attest to this as well. While I have been to Bible college and Seminary, I would say that the vast majority of what I have learned about God and Scripture did not come from what they taught me in seminary. Instead, I learned it through the careful and prayerful study of Scripture as I seek God’s face and listen to His whispering through the words of God on the written page and the Word of God in Jesus Christ.

So both of these words found in Ephesians 1:17, wisdom and revelation, imply that Paul wants his readers to gain spiritual knowledge. How do we know this? Well, look at the text. The end of Ephesians 1:17 says so that. Why does Paul want us to gain wisdom and knowledge? So that you may know Him better. The spiritual possessions we have in Christ have been given to us so that we will first, give glory to God and second, gain knowledge of God.

How much do you know about this God you claim to love?

Could you name even five of his attributes or characteristics?

Do you know His ways and His works?

Now where are you going to learn about God?

Some people turn to their own feelings, while others turn to reason and logic. There is nothing wrong with feelings and emotions or reason and logic. Both are gifts from God. But both can also lead us astray.

Of course, creation and our conscience can also tell us something about God, but both have been twisted by sin and so can also lead us astray. We need something clearer.

The only way to know anything for sure about God is to have Him tell us about Himself. And that is exactly what He has done in Scripture, and especially in Jesus Christ. The blessings we have in Jesus Christ guide us into knowledge of God and the wisdom for how to live life.

That is why I place so much effort and emphasis on teaching Scripture, and as I do, always pointing you to Jesus Christ. Biblical teaching which focuses on Christ and Him crucified is one of the best ways to learn about God and what God wants for our lives.

So our spiritual possessions are for us to give glory to God and to gain knowledge of God. Paul, in Ephesians 1:18-19, lists three things specifically that he desires—that he prays—for his readers to gain knowledge of.

Pauls Powerful Prayer

Three Specific Items Paul Wants the Ephesians to Know (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Ephesians 1:18-19. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know (he prays for us to know three things—first) the hope to which he has called you, (second) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and (third) his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Paul’s prayer is that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened. The eyes of your heart is a figure of speech for spiritual knowledge and understanding. And Paul prays that his readers would gain spiritual knowledge and understanding in three ways. First, that they would know hope, second, that they would know their riches, and third, that they would know God’s power. Let’s take these one at a time.

1. The Hope To Which You Were Called

Paul’s first item that he prays for is that his readers would know hope.

A lot of people hear the word “hope” and think it implies kind of a “wishful thinking.” For example, many people hope for riches—but most will not ever become rich.

But that is not the kind of hope Paul is talking about.

Our hope is a certain hope. Hope in Scripture is the absolute certainty of our victory in God (cf. Rom 8:23-24; Eph 4:4; Col 1:5; 1 Thess 1:3; 1 Pet 3:15).

We do not place faith in our own good works, we hope in Christ, we place faith in His works, and we know that since God does not lie, our hope has a good foundation, and our hope will come true.

When God makes a promise, faith believes it, hope anticipates it, and patience quietly awaits it.

2. The Riches of Our Inheritance

Secondly, though, Paul wants us to gain knowledge of God by learning about our riches. He says in Ephesians 1:18, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. I hope you understand that the riches that belong to us in Christ—the inheritance that is ours in Jesus Christ—is partly for our use right now. In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul has shared numerous things that we have in Christ, but these are not the only riches that we have. Other places in Scripture tell us what these other things are.

And Paul says here that for many of them, we can know them now! I should point out here that the word “know” often means more than just a simple knowledge of something. Being to the ocean … swimming in the ocean … smelling the salt in the air and tasting the salt on your tongue, hearing the cry of the seagulls … is much different than reading about the ocean in a book. One is simply mental knowledge; the other is experiential knowledge.

The knowledge of that Paul wants us to have here of our hope and riches in Jesus Christ is an intimate, experiential kind of knowledge. Here, he wants us to know the riches that we have in Christ by using them.

3. The Great Power for Us Who Believe

Unmasking the PowersFinally, in the first part of verse 19, Paul prays for his readers to know his incomparably great power for us who believe.

The world wants power today, doesn’t it? Those who are of the world believe that money and prestige and position, will get them power. Well, let me tell you, the power that is ours in Christ is beyond comprehension. Paul says it is incomparably great! That means there is no comparison between this power and any other power in the world! In fact, the Greek word for power is dunamis, from which we get our word dynamite. It is power like dynamite that we have in Christ.

And Paul thinks this power is so great, that he goes on in the rest of Ephesians 1:19 an on through Ephesians 1:23 to talk about this power. We don’t have time to look at these verses today, but we will do so in future studies.

My prayer for you, as you listen to these studies, as you read my books, and as you join my online discipleship group, is that you will come to a better understanding of everything that you have in Jesus Christ.

I want you to be hopeful and your future. We live in bleak times, and there is so much going on in the world, that it sometimes causes us to lose hope. But there is hope in Jesus, and we can know with certainty that no matter how bad things get in the world or in your life, this world is not all there is. You have great and hopeful things awaiting you in eternity.

Second, I pray that you would know how rich you are in Jesus Christ. Spiritually rich. There are many great blessings we have been given in Jesus Christ, and these rich blessings can help us in life, in our jobs, in our relationships, and in all we think, say, and do.

Third, I want you to know and experience the power of God. The power to break down barriers, defeat sin and temptation, and overcome doubt and fear. I want you to live a victorious and fulfilling Christian life.

I hope and pray that all of these things become true of you as you continue to join me on the path of following Jesus.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, z Bible & Theology Topics: Ephesians 1:15-19, fruit of the spirit, how to pray, podcast, prayer, what to pray for

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The theme of glory in the Lord’s Prayer of John 17

By Jeremy Myers
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The theme of glory in the Lord’s Prayer of John 17
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In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, for His disciples, and for all who would believe in Him. One constant theme throughout His prayer is glory. What is this glory, why is Jesus praying for glory, and how do we receive this glory?

This study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group.

What is the Glorification in John 17:1-5, 10, 22-24

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

“And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

John 17 contains the true “Lord’s Prayer.” It is divided into three parts. In the first, Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:1-5). In the second, He prays for His disciples (John 17:6-19), and in the third, He prays for all who would believe in Him (John 17:20-26).

The theme of glory is found in all three sections. In each section, the references to glory do not follow the normal New Testament usage of radiance and majesty, but instead follow the normal usage outside of Scripture, referring to having a high opinion among others.

Jesus’ Prayer for Himself (John 17:1-5)

In the first section of His prayer, Jesus asks that He Himself would be glorified so that He can bring glory to the Father (John 17:2). Jesus says that He has already glorified God by completing the work which God sent Him to do, and now asks that He be returned to the glory He had with God before the world came into existence (John 17:4-5).

There are four significant truths in this part of the prayer.

prayer of Jesus
Is this what it looks like to pray?

First, although all glory comes from and belongs to God, Jesus prays that God would be glorified even further through the actions of Jesus. Jesus wants to bring further glory to God, and this is to be accomplished through God giving glory to Jesus. God’s glory, therefore, appears to be something that only increases as He gives it to others. The glory of God increases as He gives it away. This may be partly why God chose to not only share His glory with Jesus, but also with those who would believe in Jesus. The reputation of God increases as those who bear His name grow their reputation among others.

Second, this seems to be an example of where the original meaning of doxa shines through. Jesus has already been glorified on the earth, and prays that He will be glorified further, so that He can bring even more glory to God. What does all of this glory look like? The glory Jesus refers to is not primarily seen in radiance, splendor, and light, but in having a good reputation and positive opinion among the people of the earth. This is the primary meaning of doxa outside of the Bible, and this meaning also seems to apply here. Jesus wants people to think highly of God, and Jesus prays that this would be accomplished by having people think highly of Himself. The implication is that when Jesus lives as God wants Him to live, people will think highly of Jesus, and in this way, will also come to think more highly of God.

Third, Jesus says that He has already glorified God by finishing the work which God gave Him to do (John 17:4). This is a surprising statement from Jesus, since He has not yet gone to the cross. Furthermore, while Jesus is on the cross, He cries out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). How can Jesus say here in John 17:4 that He has finished everything God sent Him to do when Jesus had not yet finished His work upon the cross?

The answer is found in the references to glory that Jesus mentions back in John 13:31-32. Jesus had just declared that one of His disciples would betray Him, and after identifying Judas as the betrayer, Judas went out into the night (John 13:30). This began the inexorable chain of events that would take Jesus to the cross. Immediately following Judas’ departure, Jesus says that He will be glorified, and God will be glorified in Him, and this glorification would happen very soon (John 13:31-32).

So when Jesus says that He has completed everything God has given Him to do, Jesus is saying that the steps are all in place for the events that will take Him to the cross. Indeed, immediately after completing His prayer, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas found Him, kissed Him, and betrayed Him (John 18:1-11). This betrayal then led directly to the crucifixion of Jesus.

So is all of Jesus’ work finished? Yes and no. Jesus still need to go through the crucifixion, but Jesus Himself has done everything that He needs to do. The crucifixion itself is something that happens to Jesus, rather than a work He Himself performs, and the necessary steps are already in place for the crucifixion to occur.

Yet even then, the crucifixion cannot even be properly referred to as “a work of God,” for it was not of God. The crucifixion of Jesus was the result of human religion partnering with political power to use the scapegoating mechanism of the Accuser, Satan, to put Jesus to death. This ancient practice was revealed through the death of Jesus, but cannot properly be described as the will of God or the work of God. So in this sense also, Jesus can say that He has completed all the work that God sent Him to do.

Fourthly and finally, Jesus says that glory He seeks is the same glory He had before the world came into being (John 17:5). Jesus is not receiving new glory which He did not have before, but is simply returning to the glory which He shared with God for all eternity. The new aspect of glory, which was unknown in Scripture prior to Jesus, was the idea of imputed glory, in which God shares His glory with humanity through Jesus. This is the idea that Jesus prays about next.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)

In the second part of the prayer, where Jesus prays for His twelve disciples, He also mentions glory. Just as God was glorified in Jesus, Jesus says that He was glorified in His disciples (John 17:10). They brought glory to Him in the same way that Jesus brought glory to God. They followed Him, obeyed Him, and did what He commanded.

The Twelve DisciplesTherefore, here as well, the concept of glory does not seem to include the idea of radiance or bright splendor, but rather the traditional concept of doxa found outside of the New Testament, which is the good reputation and high opinion that others have toward Jesus. Not all had a good opinion of Jesus (such as many of the religious leaders), but many people who interacted with Jesus and His disciples began to think highly of them because of how they acted.

Jesus Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)

The final part of the prayer, in which Jesus prays for all believers (which includes us), also contains numerous references to glory. Jesus asks that all who believe in Him will share in the glory that He shares with God (John 17:22-23). And what does this glory look like? It looks like unity and love (John 17:23-24). As we live in unity and love with Jesus and with each other, the world will come to know God (John 17:25-26), which will bring further glory to God.

These conditions for glory parallel the introductory commands from Jesus in John 13:33-35. Just as Jesus will bring glory to God through obedience to Him, and God will give glory to Jesus, so also, the disciples can receive glory from God and give glory to Him by loving one another. It is this love that allows them to be recognized as a follower of Jesus (John 13:35), thereby gaining a good reputation among others.

In light of John 17, therefore, it seems that glory in the New Testament does not always refer to glorified bodies in the afterlife in which we shine like the sun or have radiant clothes as Jesus did in the transfiguration.

Sometimes, the glory of God, the glory of Jesus, and the glory of Christians follows the common definition in all other Greek literature of the time, which is the idea of having a good reputation among others. In such cases, as seen here, there are conditions for this glory, such as loving and living in unity with each other.

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: glorification, glory, how to pray, John 17, Lord's Prayer, prayer

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Speaking with God in Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:18-20)

By Jeremy Myers
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Speaking with God in Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:18-20)
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Although we have already learned about the six pieces of spiritual armor which Paul mentions in Ephesians 6, there is still one vitally important element left. It is not exactly a piece of the armor, but it is nevertheless, still essential for victory on the field of battle.

It is the ability we have to call in “air support” from heaven. It is prayer. Prayer is the messaging system between God and ourselves.

In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul writes about prayer. He writes about the importance of communicating with God and allowing God to communicate with us.

As we look at this final element of the spiritual warfare, we will consider it as we have the six pieces of armor. We will look at how messaging worked for the Roman military, how it works for us as soldiers of Jesus Christ, and then finally, how we can start communicating better with God and allowing Him to communicate with us.

Messaging for the Soldier

Communication is key on the field of battle. Commanders need to send instructions to their solders, and the different commanders of different units need to communicate with each other to coordinate their attacks and to help each other out as needed.

To achieve these goals, the Roman military used a variety of methods for sending messages. When they needed to send a message over a short distance, they would use runners. Roman officers always had a team of runners whose job it was to carry messages from one part of the battlefield to another. They would deliver these messages either verbally or with waxed tablets.

But sending a runner was not always the best option. Runners could not be used when the distance was too far, when the message was too urgent, or when enemy forces were in the way. So the Roman military devised an ingenious solution for such situations. They developed a system of communication which could quickly send short messages over long distances and even to other units that were separated from the main force.

The Romans developed an early form of text messaging using two sets of five flags. The flags were bright red with the numbers 1-5 painted on them, and were fixed to poles about 12 feet in length. The military then arranged the Latin alphabet into a grid of five columns and five rows, assigning each letter to one box on the grid.

So the “A” was in the first box which had a numerical value of 1-1 (Row 1, Column 1), the “B” in the second box with a numerical value of 1-2 (Row 1, Column 2), the “C” in the third box with a numerical column of 1-3 (Row 1, Column 3), and so on. Then they would send letter-by-letter messages using the numerical values of the alphabet. At night, they used torches instead of flags to accomplish the same goal, raising one to five torches to indicate the rows and columns.

To send a message, the sending side simply had to spell it out using the flags and alphabetical grid. The receiving side would write the message down on a wax tablet and pass it on to the commander.

With such methods, the Roman army was able to communicate back and forth. Commanders could send messages to each other and to their soldiers, and in so doing, all the parts could work together as a unified whole. This was one of the things that helped the Roman military gain victory on the field of battle.

The downside to this sort of messaging was that it was time consuming and could only be used to send short messages. Rather than send a message which said, “The enemy is in full retreat with our legions in pursuit,” they would instead say, “Enemy retreat.”

Even that short message would take a minute or two to send. But it was better than no messaging at all.

However, in Ephesians 6:18-20, if Paul is indeed hinting at another tool that is at our disposal for spiritual warfare, then the method of messaging that is available to us is not time consuming, is not slow, and is not for short messages only. Let us look at what this form of messaging is for the Christian.

Messaging for the Christian

In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul invites his readers to pray. Prayer is the Christian form of messaging. It is how we receive messages from God, and send our messages to Him. Prayer is how we ask for help, make our needs known, and seek help for other people around us.

This is the third time Paul has written about prayer in his letter to the Ephesians. He previously asked for prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23 and then again in Ephesians 3:14-21. So Paul mentions prayer at the beginning, middle, and end of his letter.

For Paul, prayer is the beginning, middle, and end of life and ministry. And in all three of these section, Paul writes that one of the main things he prays for, and one of the main things the Ephesian Christians should pray for, is power. Power from God. Power for our lives. Power to live. Power to defeat the enemy.

power prayer

Why power? Because are engaged in spiritual warfare, and if we are going to stay on our feet against the enemy forces arrayed against us, we are going to need power. And one of the best ways to receive power is to pray for it.  Prayer is what enables us to fight back against the enemy.

In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote that this world is enemy-occupied territory and that Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. And it is primarily through prayer that much of this sabotage takes place.

But many Christians don’t think of prayer as warfare activity in which we sabotage the enemy’s plans and goals. This is seen in where and how most Christians pray. The attitude of many Christians is that prayer should be a peaceful, soothing practice.

I have been in churches where there are prayer closets. Some people’s homes have prayer corners, or prayer nooks. Usually, these areas have the dim lighting, cushioned seats, and padded kneelers. There is soft music playing above, some stained glass windows, a little counter for your Bible and pencils, and a cup holder for your latte.

But prayer is warfare activity. A prayer closet should be a foxhole, with sandbags and bullet shells. Why? Because prayer is not a leisure-time activity; it is a wartime activity. Prayer is not chatting on the phone with God as we stroll through a bed of tulips; it is the frantic radio calls of a platoon under heavy fire calling for air support: “God! Send help! We need your intervention, and we need it now, or we are not going to survive!”

It is often helpful to band together with other Christians in this sort of prayer. When the pioneers headed west, they would always situate their wagons into a circle to provide better protection. We should do that as well in prayer.

When we pray, it is wise and helpful to pray with others. This doesn’t make our prayers more powerful or effective, but it is helpful to know that we are not alone in calling to God for help. We are in a war and we need to pray like it.

So prayer the Christian form of military messaging. Through prayer, we communicate with our commander, calling for help and aid, and we also receive instructions and directions from Him, for how to proceed and what to do in battle. In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul provides several instructions about what to pray for and how to pray. So let us to see how to engage in messaging with God.

Messaging with God

The greatest problem with prayer is that many Christians don’t know how to pray or what to pray for. Quite often, they have picked up some seriously bad habits about prayer from their parents, their pastor, or their church. In my book, What is Prayer?, I write about a lot of these habits, and also explain why prayer should not be mysterious or difficult.

Prayer is not a magic incantation, where if you say the right words in the right way, God is required to act on your behalf. As I reveal in my book, prayer is nothing more (and nothing less!) than simply talking to God as you would talk to any other person.

And if prayer is simply a form of communication with God, then this means that prayer not only involves talking to God, but also involves allowing Him to talk to us. Prayer is not a monologue, but is a conversation with God.

So it is not surprising that in Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul writes about both aspects of prayer. Ephesians 6:18 provides instructions about talking to God in prayer, and Ephesians 6:19-20 gives instructions about how to hear from God. We will begin by looking at Ephesians 6:18, and how to communicate with God.

What is interesting about Ephesians 6:18 is that just as the Roman military used five numbered flags to help communicate with other parts of the military, Paul lists five things in Ephesians 6:18 about how to use prayer in spiritual warfare. Just as there were five flags in the Roman military, Paul lists five elements to praying as God wants. Let us consider them one at a time.

Perpetual Prayer (Ephesians 6:18a)

The first two words of verse 18 are praying always. The first aspect to warfare prayer is that it should be perpetual. We must constantly be in communication with God.

This is similar to what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “pray without ceasing.” This does not mean that we should always be on our knees praying, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But you can communicate with God about anything, at any time, and in any place.

You don’t kneel, close your eyes, and fold your hands when you talk to anyone else, so you don’t need to do this with God either. But you can talk to anyone else as you go for a walk, drive your car, work out, eat your meals, and go about your day. So also with God.

As we go about our day, we are to maintain a constant and perpetual sense of God’s presence and say in communication with Him always.

This is the truth that Brother Lawrence writes about in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God. Since God is invisible, it does indeed take some practice to keep your mind and thoughts focused on the presence of God throughout your day. But it can be done.

As you begin to develop the recognition that God is always be your side, and you can always be in communication with Him, you will come to realize that He wants to have an ongoing dialogue with you. As this happens, you will find that all of your thoughts can be transformed into prayers.

As you drive to work, you can thank him for the job you have, and the car to get there. As you walk your dog, you can thank him for the companionship of animals, the beauty of the clouds in the sky and the birds in the trees. As you eat your lunch, you can thank him for the food and the wonder of taste. And whenever you face struggles, fears, questions, doubts, or temptations, you can cry out to God for help, strength, courage, and the power to resist.

Another key to aid you in praying without ceasing is to do away with the set times and places for prayer. I personally recommend doing away with prayer closets and prayer meetings. Such places and times subconsciously train us to hold off on praying until we are in one of those places and at one of those times.

When we become aware of a need in the life of a friend of family member, rather than pray about it right then and there, we tend to think to ourselves, “I must remember to bring this up at the prayer meeting on Wednesday night.” But why wait? When a need is made known to you, pray about it right then and there! Since God is always with us, we can always talk to Him about anything. Recognizing this truth is the key to perpetual prayer.

So the first step to warfare praying is to pray always. As we go about our lives, seeking to live for Jesus and stand against the devil, we must be in a perpetual state of prayer with God so that we can communicate with Him about our needs and struggles, and also so that He can communicate with us.

But what sorts of things should we pray for? Paul gets into this next. The second aspect to prayer is that it should be petitionary.

Petitionary Prayer (Ephesians 6:18b)

In the second part of Ephesians 6:18, Paul tells us to pray with all prayer and supplication. The first term, prayer, refers to general requests, whereas the second term, supplication (some translations have petitions or requests), is a word for specific prayer needs.

So Paul is just calling us to pray for all different types of requests and needs—general and specific. Most Christians automatically make requests to God in prayer, and we often naturally transition between general and specific needs. For example, someone might pray generally for all missionaries around the world, but then also pray specifically for a certain missionary family and a specific need that they have.

Since it is obvious and natural for Christians to pray for general and specific needs, why does Paul even bring it up? I think it because our prayers are often too “physical.” Christian prayer is often limited to the physical needs of ourselves and other people. If you listen to most prayer requests of most Christians, they primarily ask for prayer about sicknesses and money. They want their spouse to recover from the flue, their mother to have a successful surgery, and for themselves to find a job so they can pay their bills.

 

Prayer Requests

There is nothing wrong with such prayers, for all of our needs can be expressed to God, but such prayers only scratch the surface of what God wants us to pray for. In the context of spiritual warfare, God wants us to move past such prayers for physical needs, and start praying for greater power, influence, and courage to stand up against darkness, defeat temptation, and spread the light of God’s love to those around us.

As you look at what Jesus prayed for, what Peter prayed for, and what Paul prayed for, you see that they focused their prayers on the issues, needs, and requests that would break down the walls of the enemy, give spiritual sight to those who were blinded by Satan, and set free those who were enslaved to sin and the devil.

Warfare prayer is not primarily prayer about sick family members and unpaid bills, but is about the kingdom of God overtaking the kingdom of darkness on this earth.

Sometimes, I think that we only pray for health and financial needs because these are the needs that are foremost on our minds. If you are unsure what else you can be praying for, there are a couple things you can do.

The first is to draw your prayer requests from Scripture. You can do this by praying the biblical prayers of Jesus (cf. John 17), Paul (cf. Eph 1:15-23; 3:14-21), or other biblical characters (cf. Dan 9:3-19), but you can also simply pray Scripture itself. As you read through one of the prophetic books, or any of the letters of Paul, Peter, or John, you can take the teachings and ideas in those texts and change the wording around into prayers. This is a wonderful and easy way to pray according to the will of God.

But secondly, we can also learn to listen to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts so that we can pray according to the Spirit. This is the third flag in Ephesians 6:18 about how to pray to God. As we pray in the Spirit, our prayers will be powerful.

Powerful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18c)

When we pray, and whatever it is we pray for, the true effectiveness, the true answers to prayer, come when we are praying in the Spirit. This is not a reference to praying in tongues. Instead, the context reveals that praying in the Spirit refers to something else entirely. We see this in two ways.

First, by going back to Ephesians 5:18, we remember that being filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. In the context of Ephesians 5:18, one of the things the Spirit does is helps us sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Songs, hymns, and spiritual songs are nothing more than prayerful words put to music. So Spirit-filled prayer is when the Holy Spirit guides and informs the words that come out of our mouth when we pray and sing.

But secondly, and in the more immediate context, we learned from Ephesians 6:17 that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. This means that when the Holy Spirit guides the words the come out of our mouth, these words will be based upon the truths and ideas of Scripture.

Spirit-filled prayer is Scripture-filled prayer. When we pray in the Spirit this way, we can know that we are praying according to the will of God. Prayers from Colossians 1 for our families, Romans 12 for fellow Christians, and Ephesians 4 for the church will always be powerful and effective prayers because such prayers are led by the Spirit, informed by Scripture, and in accordance to the will of God.

When we pray according to the will of God as it is recorded in Scripture, this helps us learn to pray according to the will of God for things that are not specifically mentioned in Scripture. As we following the guidance of the Holy Spirit in praying Scripture, we learn what God wants and doesn’t want, and discover the way God thinks about various subjects and ideas.

This growing intimacy with the heart of God allows us to pray with better passion and certainty for other areas in our life, such as where we live, what kind of job we hold, what God thinks of current events, and how He wants us to get involved in our community.

As we go about our day, the Spirit helps inform us about how we should pray and what we should pray for. As we see a need in our community, or hear about an issue that a friend is facing, the Spirit gives us wisdom to know what words to use as we bring these needs and issues before God in prayer.

Even when we are unsure in our own human wisdom about what to say, the Spirit gives us the words to pray according to the will of God (Rom 8:26-27), so that God will respond with power to bring answers to our prayers. All of this brings great power and efficacy to our prayers, for if we are praying according to the will of God, then we know that our prayers will be answered.

After all, Jesus promised in John 16:23 that if we ask for anything in His name, it will be given to us. This doesn’t mean that if we tack on the magical words “In Jesus name we pray” to the end of our prayers that we will receive what we pray for.

No, to pray in the name of Jesus means to pray for the things Jesus Himself would pray for. It means to pray as if Jesus Himself was praying through us. When we pray in Jesus’ name, it means that we should only pray for the things Jesus Himself would pray for, which means we should only pray for things that are according to the will of God.

A similar truth is taught in 1 John 5:14-15, which says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray according to the will of God. And when we pray according to God’s will, we will receive the things we ask for. This makes Spirit-guided prayer extremely powerful!

John Wesley boldly stated that God does nothing but in answer to prayer. Wesley statement is a bit of an exaggeration, for it appears from Scripture that much of what God does, He does without anyone praying for it, but John Wesley has hit on something that few Christians really grasp. Prayer is an aspect of omnipotence that God has granted to us.

The more we pray in the spirit, or according to the will of God, the more is accomplished. There truly are some things God will not do unless we pray. When God works in human history, and in our lives, prayer is one of the central variables God takes into consideration.

Spirit-guided prayer is powerful prayer. Such prayer is the pipe-line to the power of God. Such prayer is the power that moves the world, changes history, and accomplished God’s will on earth. There truly is power in this sort of prayer.

So when we pray, it must be in the Spirit, according to the will of God. Such powerful prayer becomes exponentially more effective when we persevere in prayer, which is the fourth flag to messaging God.

Jonah 2:10 prayer

Perseverant Prayer (Ephesians 6:18d)

Ephesians 6:18 goes on to say that we must be watchful to this end with all perseverance. This means that we must continue to pray and keep on praying until we have received what we have asked for in prayer.

Persevering in prayer may be one of the more difficult aspects of prayer because it sometimes seems that we repeat the same prayer requests over and over to God, with little indication that He hears or is doing anything to grant our requests.

Furthermore, if God is all-powerful, then why would asking Him for something ten times (or a hundred) be more effective than asking Him only once? Is prayer a game with God by which He sees if we really want something before He responds and grants what we ask?

Some believe that Luke 18:1-8 teaches the importance of persevering in prayer. In this text, Jesus tells a parable about a widow who is trying to get justice from an unjust judge. According to this story, though the judge tried to ignore her, the widow finally received from him the judgment that she wanted. How? She was grated her request only because she constantly badgered the judge until he gave her what she wanted so that he could get some peace and be left alone.

This is a confusing parable because it appears to teach that God is an unjust judge who ignores the needs of His people until they annoy Him with their constant requests. But we know this understanding of the parable must be wrong, for God is not an unjust judge. He is the exact opposite.

The proper understanding of this parable emerges when we realize that Jesus is not comparing God to the unjust judge, but is rather contrasting God with the judge. Unlike the judge, God is as a loving Father, a kind and gracious God, who loves to hear and answer our prayers and do what is right for us. God does not give us a stone when we ask for bread, or a serpent when we ask for fish (Luke 11:11). Instead, God loves to give good gifts to His children. So although Luke 18 is sometimes used as a parable to teach about the importance of persevering in prayer, it actually teaches the opposite.

So then why should we persevere in prayer? If we are praying according to the will of God, why doesn’t God immediately and quickly grant the requests we present to Him. There are three possible reasons.

First, it is possible that God did immediately answer our request, but various aspects of spiritual warfare are keeping God’s answer from getting to us. This, after all, is what the angel tells Daniel in Daniel 10. Daniel prayed for 21 days, and God sent the answer to his prayer immediately, but the fallen angel of Persia stood against the angel bringing the message to Daniel (Dan 10:12-13).

So although Daniel’s prayer was answered on the first day, the angel could not get through for three weeks. Daniel’s perseverance in prayer enabled the angelic realm to be victorious over the forced arrayed against them, and bring the message through to Daniel.

Daniel 10 seems to teach that what goes on in the spiritual realm may significantly affect how, when, and even whether or not God can answer any given prayer. Due to spiritual warfare, perseverance is required to receive answers to some prayers.

Second, it is possible that some requests are not granted by God because they do not fully line up with God’s will or God’s timing. In such situations, God might want us to wait until He grants our request, or to change our heart so that we don’t make the request at all.

Either way, perseverance in prayer will maintain the lines of communication with God which will eventually allow us to see God’s perfect timing for our request, or will allow us to change our heart so that it is more in alignment with the heart of God.

prayer lifeThis bring up the third reason some prayers require perseverance. Sometimes, God does not immediately answer our requests because He wants us to remain in communication with Him. God is not playing games with us by making us wait for some of the things we request, but at the same time, God doesn’t want us to play games with Him.

God does not want us to treat Him as a giant genie in the sky who grants all our wishes the moment we rub His magic bottle. God is not as interested in giving us what we want as He is in giving us what we need. And what we need more than having our prayers immediately answered is to grow in our relationship with Him, learning to trust and rely upon Him, His wisdom, and His timing as we remain in communication with Him about His plans for our life and this world.

So when you pray and do not see God immediately answer your requests, keep praying! Don’t give up. Continue to bring your requests to God, until He either answers the request or changes your heart to see why the request does not fit His will.

God is working to bring about the answers to the prayers of many Christians, but sometimes, we give up too soon, before He can fully bring about the solution we seek. Spiritual warfare prayer requires persevere. This is the fourth flag to proper communication with God.

Purposeful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18e)

The fifth and final flag to sending our messages to God is that we must pray with purpose. At the end of Ephesians 6:18, Paul instructs his readers to make supplication for all the saints. The word for supplication is the same one that was used previously, referring to specific prayer requests, and here, we are to make such requests for other Christians. We are to intercede on behalf of other believers.

Paul mentions this because quite often, Christian prayers are self-centered prayers. When praying, we tend to focus on our own sickness, injury, job, finances, marriage, children, struggles, temptations, and problems. There is nothing wrong with praying for our needs and our concerns, but Paul wants his readers to expand their prayer horizon and pray for the needs and concerns of others as well.

We are, after all, a band of brothers on the field of battle (cf. Eph 6:10), and none of us are Lone Rangers in this battle. We need the people on either side of us to remain strong and healthy so that they can defend and help us in our times of need, just as we help and defend them in theirs.

But what should we pray? Victor L. Walter performed a study of all the prayers, prayer instructions, and prayer promises in the Bible and discovered some shocking insights about what biblical prayer looks like. For example, he noticed that many prayers were initiated by God instead of by a human.

Victor Walter also found that most prayers were for groups of people, rather than for individuals. If a prophet or apostle had an issue with a person or a solution for a problem they faced, they spoke directly to that person about it, rather than praying to God for it.

He also noted that the Bible doesn’t contain any prayers for the unredeemed. All prayers are only for the people of God. This doesn’t mean that the unredeemed should be ignored. Rather, while people pray for the redeemed, they witness to and evangelize the unredeemed.

Finally, prophetic and apostolic prayers seemed to focus primarily on strengthening and supporting what was already working, rather than fixing or correcting what wasn’t. So if a church was known for its faith, Paul would pray that their faith would increase even more (cf. Col 1:4, 6).

All such prayers make sense in light of spiritual warfare. On the field of battle, our primary concern is the health and well-being of our fellow soldiers, rather than the prisoners we are trying to free and rescue. If the solders are wounded, we cannot rescue anybody.

Furthermore, rather than send communication to God about the soldiers to our right or left, it is much easier to simply talk to the soldiers on our right and left. And of course, on the field of battle, we want those who have special skills and abilities to grow in the power and effectiveness of those abilities.

In modern warfare, snipers are commanded to spend time practicing as a sniper. The same is true in spiritual warfare. Gifts are given so that we practice and use them. These are the sorts of things we can pray for when we pray for the saints. We should pray that teachers become better at teaching, that servants become better at serving, that givers become better at giving. We do not focus on praying to fix people’s weaknesses, but pray that they become more effective in their areas of strength.

Ephesians 6:18 has revealed the five flags of sending our messages to God. But what about receiving His messages to us? Victory on the battlefield requires two-way communication. It is essential that we not only send our messages to God, but also perceive His messages to us. Thankfully, there are many ways God communicates His will and commands to us. One of these methods of messaging us is discussed by Paul in Ephesians 6:19-20.

Perceiving the Messages of God (Ephesians 6:19-20)

In the last two verses of this section on the spiritual armor, Paul has invited his readers to pray for him so that he can properly communicate to them the words of God. Why does Paul give such an instruction? Because it is through the preaching and teaching of Scripture that we hear back from God.

Just as the Roman military had people who were tasked to receive the flagged messages from other units and commanders and then pass these messages on to their own commanders, so also, there are those within the church who are tasked to receive the messages from God and pass these messages on to the people. Paul was one such person, and so he asks the Ephesians to pray for him so that He can accurately and boldly proclaim God’s message to them.

When it comes to messaging with God, it is not a monologue in which we do all the talking. No, God communicates back to us. There are numerous ways He can do this. He can do it through the inner, whispered guidance of the Holy Spirit. He can do it through angels, dreams, and visions. He can do it through Scripture itself as we read and study. And God can communicate to us through those people who are specially gifted to preach and teach the Word of God.

Though many Christians say they never hear God hear God speak to them, every Christian receives direction from God by reading the written Word of God and by hearing it preached and explained to them.  Paul wanted to boldly and clearly proclaim the messages from God to the people of God, and so he asked his reader to pray for him so that he might do so with boldness.

There a few noteworthy things about Paul’s statements in Ephesians 6:19-20. First, he wants utterance to be given to him. The Greek word he uses here is logos¸ which is the Greek word for “word.” In Ephesians 6:17, in speaking about the sword of the Spirit as the word of God, Paul used the Greek word rhema, but here he goes back to the normal term for Scripture, which is logos. This means that Paul wants to provide direct and clear revelation from God to those who hear him preach and teach.

And what is it that Paul wants to proclaim? He says that his message is about the mystery of the gospel. The gospel, of course, is the good news about Jesus as proclaimed in the pages of Scripture. The mystery of the gospel is a particular truth of the gospel that was hidden for ages and generations, but which had been made clear in the days of Jesus and the apostles (Col 1:26).

This mystery was that in Jesus, there were no longer any “insiders” or “outsiders” before God, for all were now insiders. Jews and Gentiles alike were now invited to become one family, one group, in Jesus Christ, thereby forming the church. This is the truth that Paul wanted to proclaim.

Why does he want to proclaim this truth? Because this is a central truth for spiritual warfare. The lies and deceptions of the devil lead humans to war against each other. But when we realize that we are all one in Jesus Christ, that our enemy is not flesh and blood, we can then work to make peace with other human beings, regardless of their race, religion, or culture.

The mystery of the gospel is a warfare truth, breaking down dividing walls of hostility (cf. Eph 2:11-22), and the human rivalries that lead to accusation, blame, and violence. The truth of the gospel is a rallying cry about how Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil so that we humans, who formerly hated one another, can now live at peace with one another, presenting a united front against our true enemy.

This is why preaching the gospel is warfare activity. It is how we advance the front line against our defeated foe. As the gospel is preached, the Kingdom of God advances, overtaking the enemy fortress of deception, death, and darkness.

Indeed, Paul has firsthand knowledge and experience of this front line warfare, and he indicates this by describing himself as an ambassador in chains. Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians from prison, likely while being chained between two Roman guards. And he was in prison because he had declared the gospel, and was facing a death sentence for the same reason.

Yet Paul wanted to boldly proclaim and live the gospel, regardless of the consequences that came upon him. So he likely preached the gospel to his captors, the Roman guards, and he prepared to preach the gospel to Caesar as well.

In this way, Paul reveals the gospel truth that neither the Roman guards nor the Roman emperor were his enemies. Rather, they too were his brothers, but they had been trapped by the deceptive lies of evil spiritual forces. Paul recognizes this, and sought to proclaim the gospel to them in hopes of liberating them from the prison they themselves are in.

Paul was not the prisoner, but was an ambassador to those who were in prison. Though he might have been sent to prison by the Roman government, he knew that he had actually been sent there by God, to boldly proclaim liberty and freedom to the people who were truly in prison. And so he asked for boldness to keep proclaiming the message of God to them.

There is power is the proclamation of the gospel, for it is through the truth of the gospel that lives are changed and the kingdom of God is unveiled upon this earth. For reason, Paul asked that others pray for him to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Conclusion

On the field of spiritual warfare, we must communicate with God, and God must communicate with us. Ephesians 6:18-20 has shown the five elements to our messages to God, and one of the primary ways that God sends messages to us. Without such back-and-forth messaging, the battle would be chaotic, many lives would be lost, and God’s rule and reign would not advance upon the earth.

The way we communicate with God and allow Him to communicate to us is through prayer. Prayer is a powerful warfare activity.

Through prayer, we make our needs known to God, and call down fire power from heaven to defeat the forces of darkness arrayed against us.

Through prayer, we listen for the leading and guidance of God, as He speaks to us through the Spirit and the power of biblical teaching.

Through prayer, we coordinate our attacks against enemy strongholds with the command and goals of God, so that enemy strongholds are destroyed, deceptions are laid bare, and people are freed.

If you want to be victorious on the field of battle, do not neglect the power of messaging God through prayer.

Do you want to learn about spiritual warfare and how to put on the full armor of God? If you want to defeat sin and gain victory in your life over temptation so you can better follow Jesus, take my course on the Armor of God as it is explained in Ephesians 6:10-20. This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-20, Ephesians 6:18-20, how to pray, Luke 18:1-8, power of prayer, prayer, praying, spiritual warfare

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Read Divine Echoes, and start rediscovering prayer (and God).

By Jeremy Myers
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Read Divine Echoes, and start rediscovering prayer (and God).


Lots of Christians struggle with know what to pray for and how to pray. And all Christians struggle with wondering why they don’t see more “answers” to prayer. The new book by Mark Karris, Divine Echoes, seeks to answer some of those questions, especially the issues surrounding petitionary prayer.

By reading it, you will learn that many of the common beliefs about prayer are simply wrong. For example, if the common beliefs about how and why God answers prayers are correct, then this proves that God is capricious. Why does God heal some people from the flu and give them parking spots at the mall, but not others? Why does God rescue some people from violence, but not others. But God is not capricious, and so there must instead be something wrong with our understanding of prayer and it works in connection to our loving, gracious, and relational God.

Divine Echoes PrayerSo read this book, and start rediscovering prayer (and God).

The author, Mark Karris, also asked me to write an endorsement for his book, which you can read in the first couple pages. Here is what I wrote:

This is one of the best books on prayer I have ever read. It not only addresses the questions of why we should pray and what prayer is, but also the more important questions of how prayer works and how God works with us to see more of our prayers answered. After reading this book, you will stop praying to God and start conspiring with God to be the vital change we desperately desire to see occur in the world.
–J. D. Myers, Author of What is Prayer? How to Pray to God Like You Talk to a Friend

You can get Divine Echoes here on Amazon. There is also a workbook that goes along with it, which is also available on Amazon. And as long as you’re getting good resources on prayer, you might as well get my book on prayer as well (Mark Karris wrote the foreword).

God is Redeeming Books Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading, how to pray, prayer, questions about prayer, unanswered prayer

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My new book, What is Prayer?, is now available

By Jeremy Myers
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My new book, What is Prayer?, is now available

My new book is out! It is titled, What is Prayer? You can get the book on Amazon as an eBook or Paperback, or at Apple iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Here is the cover:

What is Prayer?

What is Prayer? seeks to answer some of the main questions that Christians have about prayer. It does this by providing one key suggestion about how to pray, and then answers the various questions you might have about prayer through the lens of this suggestion.

Here is the Table of Contents to What is Prayer?

Foreword by Mark Karris

1. How to Talk with God
2. What Should You Pray For?
3. How Did Jesus Pray?
4. How to Get Answers to Prayer
5. 10 Dangerous Prayers
6. Praying Powerful Prayers
7. What About Unanswered Prayers?
8. Other Questions About Prayer

The Foreword to the book by Mark Karris

I was blessed to get Mark Karris to write the foreword to What is Prayer? He has an EXCELLENT book on prayer coming out in January (I think). Here is what he wrote for the book:

I remember when I was new to the Christian faith. I was unable to wrap my head around the sacred practice of prayer. Others had God on speed-dial while God’s number always seemed to be changing for me. Over the years, doubts and questions kept piling up.

I didn’t understand why we had to be so loud. Is God deaf? Does God consider us more spiritual if we are passionate and yell our prayers to Him? I didn’t understand why we repeated God’s name over and over again as if we were going into a trance-like state. Or did God forget His name?

I didn’t understand what posture I needed to take for God to accept my prayers. Would God hear me better if I were on my knees? Would God like my prayers more, or even be fonder of me as His child, if I raised my hands?

And why did friends’ prayers for God to give them parking spots at malls and convenience stores get answered, but not mine for my ailing and addicted mother? Is God cruelly selective in answering prayer?

I had tons of questions. Those haunting questions kept me stuck, stagnant, and stale in my prayer life. Where was J. D. Myers’ book What is Prayer? when I needed it?

I consider it an incredible privilege and honor to write a few words in support of this superbly written and enlightening book. J. D. Myers tackles the complexity and conundrum of prayer with a pastoral and prophetic heart, a brilliant and wise mind, and a courageous spirit obviously in touch and in tune with both God and God’s people.

The good news is there is no conundrum in how to pray to God—at least not anymore. J. D. Myers sheds the religious and superstitious garb off of prayer and makes a simple, provocative, and liberating claim: Prayer is talking to God as you would talk to a friend.

I highly recommend this book not only to new Christians who want to learn how to pray but also to the experienced and inquisitive God-lover who still has many questions. Thank you, J. D., for such a gift to the Christian community!

Mark Karris
Author of Divine Echoes: Reconciling Prayer with the Uncontrolling Love of God
MarkGregoryKarris.com

If you have questions about prayer, I think you will really enjoy the book. There are several reviews of the book already, and people really seem to appreciate what the book teaches them about prayer. Go here to read the reviews on Amazon to see if you might benefit from the book as well.

God is Redeeming Books, Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Writing, how to pray, prayer, What is prayer

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