Some Prayers Of The Apostle Paul

by R.B Fullarton, Innerleithen | Category: Prayer | Mar 1979

Prayer is the first act of the regenerated soul and the first principle and law to be learned in the spiritual realm. In the crucible of human experience the principles of prayer enunciated by the Lord Jesus have been invariably established in practice - "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). Hence in Acts 9:11 it is not surprising to find Ananias being directed by the Lord to the house of Judas where Saul, a man of Tarsus, was praying. Behind a closed door, in the street called Straight, a man was engaged, through deep exercise of heart, in prevailing prayer to God. From ancient times it has been the mind of the Lord to work with weak instruments and despised means to accomplish His purposes. He accepted the broken expressions from this new convert in these early moments of spiritual experience, as coming from a contrite heart and a humble spirit. The lower the heart descends in humility, the higher the prayer ascends in acceptance by Him.

Romans 8:26,27

Paul, dictating to his amanuensis Tertius this letter for the Church of God in the imperial city of Rome, affirms the intercession of the Holy Spirit on behalf of those who seek God in prayer, helping their infirmity. Ignorance of true need, and the inability to express the deeper measures of need, call for help outside the realm of human power. The unseen ministry of the Divine Indweller is invaluable. The Holy Spirit comes to our aid in formulating requests in keeping with the mind of God Himself. Praying in the Holy Spirit is prayer spiritually offered under His direction and will always receive the answer. This was continually known in the apostle's prayer exercises.

Prayer and the Spirit are again linked together in Philippians 1:19. The supplication of the saints in the Church of God in Philippi was vital to the apostle in his prison confinement. Pathos lies in his words as he counts on their prayer activity at the throne of grace for his needs. Alongside the prayers is the sufficiency of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. What power is here! The very atmosphere of prayer is conditioned by the presence of the Spirit.

Ephesians

Little imagination needs to be used to enter into the thrill that charmed Paul's heart as he lay in prison. His body was incarcerated but his spirit could not be imprisoned as he contemplated what God had wrought in Christ, taking Him from the lowest depths of the shame of the Cross to the highest heights of the glory of the Throne and in that very act establishing a principle which was to be true of all who believed. This is explicitly climaxed in chapter 2:7.

There is a significant relationship between the prayers in the letter to the Church in Ephesus. In chapter 1 the plea is primarily for enlightenment "that ye may know" (verse 18); while in chapter 3 it is for enablement "that ye may be" (verse 16). Both are the natural, spontaneous upsurgings of a heart aglow with love for the saints. Prayer, for the apostle chosen by God as the channel through which He proposed to bestow blessings on His heritage, was a privilege and an obligation. His prayer is no effervescent product of an emotional mind; no hallucination of a spiritual mystic. What he requests is not unreasonable when the source and supply are taken into account. God should not be insulted by the puniness of our asking.

Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul's request in this "prison prayer" that the saints of God be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation is one of the rich subjects embraced in his

many prayers on behalf of others The occasion object and outlook of this invocation deserve full consideration since it deals with the Important matter of the believer's illumination as to the truth in Jesus (4 21) The place of the learner can never be abandoned in earthly experience The knowledge we can have of God in this realm is necessarily limited; but the more widely are appreciated the riches of the grace wherein we stand, the more conscious we shall be of the deficiency of our knowledge and the more eager in the desire for its increase. There must be, of course, the practical expression of the divinely revealed truth. The truth in Jesus is to become operative, but this is achieved only as the operation of the spirit of wisdom and revelation is known. The spirit of revelation is given by God to enable us to know the hope of His calling; the spirit of wisdom is requisite for the application of that knowledge. There must not be resort to wild flights of imagination, blind impulse, even natural intellectual discernment, but to the Spirit's light for progress and power in the new life.

Ephesians 3:14-19

In the first prayer of this letter, spiritual illumination is the dominant subject; in the second, spiritual strength. One is the complement of the other. The 'hope' cannot be known unless its glories are revealed by the Spirit; the spiritual energy required to receive and hold it firmly comes from the same Person. The recognition of spiritual need is to be constant - only then can there be strengthening. In humble dependence upon God, the apostle bows his knees to the Father from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named. The prayer envisages the three Persons of the Godhead (verses 14,16-17) actively participating in the outworking of divine counsel. The Father is addressed; the Spirit imparts strength to the inward man, and Christ takes up abode in obedient hearts through faith.

This is not to be a spasmodic experience; it requires a lasting commitment. Neither is it a matter of academic apprehension. As individuals and as a collective unit as the Church of God in Ephesus, disciples were to be 'rooted' in Christ's love and 'grounded' on the same. Consequently, there is the ability to comprehend with. all the saints what are the dimensions of the mystery effected by the activity of His love. The love of Christ is that which exceeds all else. The ultimate goal of his prayer exercise is that the disciples may be filled unto all the fulness of God (i.e. all that God is).

Paul's doxology of praise in verse 20 is appropriate to all that has preceded. For this cause he bowed his knees unto God. Inwardly, spiritually exercised in heart; outwardly, his very posture demonstrated. his state of mind. A lounging posture does not indicate a sincere burdened exercise before the Lord. When spiritually burdened, he was constrained to kneel down for prayer (Acts 20:36;21:5).

Ephesians 6:18

In the breath of prayer each word is significant: 'with all prayer' implies every kind of prayer; private, public, confessing, asking and praising. 'And supplication', earnest pleading governed not by political, natural or national affairs, but by the revealed eternal purposes of God for His own. 'Praying at all seasons' indicates a mind constantly ready through habit for communion with God; 'In the Spirit' as directed and instructed by Him; 'watching' in prayer is protective.

Colossians

In Colossae there existed subtle error in relation to the Person of Christ and also claims of superior knowledge. It is with the awareness of these circumstances that the apostle prays.

Colossians 1:9-12

The giving of thanks to the Father is the culmination of this great prayer. He who requests it practised and taught it. A grateful heart is a praying heart. His devotion in prayer leads to the contemplation of Christ as the Firstborn of all creation, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. As the record of this prayer was read and discussed in the assembly at Colossae, the hearts of the saints would be warmed and led into a deeper appreciation of the majesty and dignity pf the Person of Christ, the Son of the Father's love and into fervency of spirit in Christian experience.

Colossians 4:2

Waiting time is not time wasted. Prosperity in the work of the Lord develops when prayer in and through the Holy Spirit is a priority with His people. The work of God is carried out in enemy occupied territory. Counter-agencies are always active, organized by the arch-enemy who manipulates hostile forces. Yet, by steadfast continuance in prayer, the Faith has always advanced in the face of opposition. Thus, the apostle himself continued in prayer.

The circumstances of the day then, as now, demanded faithful believing prayer. No wandering thoughts were Paul's, no racking of his brain for suitable subject matter for prayer.

1 Timothy

Prayer occupies a predominant place in Paul's exhortations in this epistle.

Its range must encompass all men, for each can disturb the tranquillity of

society. Prayer does not enter the arena of politics; rather authorities are

prayed for with a view to suitable provision and conditions under which the testimony of our God and Saviour can be extended. The authorities existing in Paul's day were anything but desirable or just, yet prayer on their behalf was not to be withheld.

1 Timothy 2:1,2

The attitude of God toward all men is described in support of the exhortation. It is His unrestricted desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. His desire covers all without distinction. In accordance with that desire Christ Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all (verse 6); 'for all' relating to the potential benefits of His death.

1 Timothy 2:8

The apostle proceeds to regulate the manner of public prayer in the House of God (3:15). The audible expression of such prayers is to be made by the men, i.e. in contradistinction to women. The character and attitude is to be consistent with the exercise; 'without wrath' towards others, and 'without doubting' within our own minds. The phrase 'in every place' equates with 'in every place' or church (1 Cor. 1:2;7:17).

Conclusion

The prayers of the apostle Paul were always marked by earnestness and humility, and by the pouring out of his heart (Psa. 62:8). They were also precise and definite. The Lord honours the faith with which prayers are made. In almost every epistle, we find Paul engaging in continual thanksgiving and prayer for the saints in the churches of God to which he was writing, and conversely, asking for reciprocal thanksgiving and prayer from those assemblies. Prayer of such quality and substance should be central in the exercises of the Lord's people today.

R.B Fullarton, Innerleithen | Mar 1979
Prayer