Scripture of the Week

Ephesians 1:18

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Dear Cherished of God,

God bless you in Christ's name on your eternal life journey.

  We can learn a lot about someone by listening to them pray. I've recently enjoyed "listening-in" on the prayer of Jesus to God in John chapter 17. It's the longest prayer of Jesus in the Bible. Even in the difficult hours prior to allowing himself to be captured in the Garden of Gethsemane, we observe what he prayed for...

1. Himself in his relationship with God (John 17:1-5)—He called God his "Father" six times in this chapter; twice in this section. He stated,''... I have finished the work that thou gavest me to do."
2. The believers involved (John 17:6-19)—He prayed for his disciples and referred to them as "His own." They were the people that God had "given him." The unity, joy, sanctification and protection of those followers was on his prayerful lips even at this difficult day prior to his crucifixion.
3. Those who "shall believe" (John 17:20-26)—He prayed for all those who would ever believe the Word. He prayed for you and me! He prayed with vision for impact, beyond his lifetime on earth.

  Like Jesus, in the midst of any of our ministry projects or activities, large or small, we can pray for...

1. Ourselves—We pray for ourselves so that our needs are met with a view toward effectively serving others. Ephesians teaches us that we "have [in order] to give." We don't "have to hoard." We thank God for the strength and courage in order to carry out the assignments that He has inspired on our hearts. He certainly wouldn't give us a job to do without fully equipping us to carry out the task. Our rich prayer lives invoke God's power, wisdom, sufficiency and prosperity to successfully do the work.

   In Acts 20:28, Paul taught the servant-leaders in the greater Ephesus area to "Take heed... unto all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church..." But prior to that encouragement, in the same verse, he first instructed them to "Take heed therefore unto yourselves..." A vital step in taking heed to ourselves is in prayer for ourselves. Prayer for our own personal relationship with the Father is priority, before effectively helping anyone else (see also I Timothy 4:16).

2. Other believers involved—Every great Christian work takes a team effort. When working with members of the Body of Christ, as we pray, we envision God's energizing and inspiring those around us. Recognizing the Chn'st-in-me is important, but maintaining a keen awareness of the Christ-in-others is often overlooked. Everything that I'm called to in Christ is in direct relationship with what you've been called to. Our prayer lives for each other should overflow with thanksgiving for how God is working in each other. Oh, how that attitude would affect relationships among believers! We have a hard time thinking badly of those for whom we "sweat" in prayer. Our calling is not an independent one, but an
   interdependent one. We depend on Christ; we work interdependently with God's people. Our prayers should reflect those relationships.
   
   
3. All believers who will ultimately be affected by our work—Like Jesus' prayer for the futurebelievers in John 17, we also should maintain a vision in our prayers for all those who will be affected by the work that we are doing for God today. Like our Lord, let's pray with vision for impact, "...ye shall be witnesses... unto the uttermost part of the earth.'(Acts 1:8b); "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.''(Acts 2:39);".. .the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you.;.in every place your faith toward God has gone forth..." (NIV, I Thess. 1:8).

Praying with vision for impact,
Kevin Guigou