Caroline Farrar
The Importance of Spiritual Prayers
Hi – I’m Caroline. I’m new to the writing side of Conforming to the Truth! I’ve had this pulling on my heart to share my conviction about Spiritual prayers. Conforming to the Truth author, Lisa Morris, (aka Aunt Lisa) has graciously allowed me to pour my heart into this blog. I hope you come out of this post knowing the shortcomings in my life and the areas God is convicting me.
As iron sharpens iron, I hope revealing my shortcomings sharpens your walk in Christ.
With the focus of this article being prayer, let’s go to the first place we should always go
when studying anything about God: the Scriptures.
Spiritual Blessings Come From God the Father
We are commanded to pray in all things with prayers and petitions (Phil 4:6-7). In the book of Ephesians, Paul (through the filling of the Holy Spirit) gives example after example of ways we should be praying for fellow believers and ourselves. Starting in Chapter 1, verse 3, Paul commends and praises “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why?
Specifically, because God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing through Christ, this verse shows us that all beautiful, fulfilling spiritual blessings come from God above, through Christ. So, shouldn’t we be asking God, praying, and petitioning for those spiritual blessings from the Father? I think so! Beyond merely my opinion or what I think – I’ve learned this throughout Ephesians.
Spiritual Prayers for Spiritual Blessings
Look at chapter 1, verse 15, when Paul tells the church of Ephesians that he does “not cease giving thanks for you.” What a beautiful picture of loving your fellow believer – by giving thanks to God for your fellow brother in Christ.
Furthermore, in chapter 1, verses 18-19, Paul pours out specific examples of areas we need those spiritual blessings from God and how to ask for them. He specifically teaches us to ask that
1. the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that
2. you may know the hope of God’s calling, and
3. you may know the riches
of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints, as well as
4. the surpassing greatness of God’s power toward those who believe.
What change could God make through our requests if our requests were aligned with
spiritual blessings, not only physical ones? Paul continues to plead in chapter 3, verse 16 that
God would grant you with power through God’s Spirit in your innermost being, that Christ may
dwell in your heart through faith.
Do you have a friend who struggles with faith? Or maybe you struggle? What if our prayer lives incorporated
“God, through your strength and your Spirit, in my inmost being, please have Christ dwell in my heart through faith!” Caroline Farrar
Spiritual Prayers Continued
Paul continues with non-material prayer requests with chapter 3 verses 17-19 asking that
1. You may be able to comprehend the height, length, depth, and breadth of God, and
2. that you may know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, and
3. that you could be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now, if you’re like me, you may not even fully comprehend what you need from Christ. You may struggle with “well, what does it even mean to be filled with all the fullness of God?!” All the more reason to pray for it! Let God show you the areas you need filling – as you know from scripture that Christ’s love surpasses knowledge.
Let Your Spiritual Needs Be Known!
Lastly, Paul lets the believers in Ephesians know his spiritual needs, not just his physical needs. In chapter 6, verses 19-20, Paul requests that the believers pray on his behalf that he may speak boldly. What a humbling thought! So bold and well-spoken, Paul asked his fellow brothers to sharpen him and his spiritual needs through spiritual prayers.
Let Your Material Prayers be Known!
Now let me contrast here- physical and material prayers are important too. Paul in 2
Corinthians 12:7-9 speaks on how he has prayed for the “thorn in my flesh” to be removed 3
times! That is a physical prayer, and we should not be ashamed to come to the throne of God,
through Christ, with all prayers and requests! In fact, we are expected to!
Lastly, we see the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), in which Jesus prays for our daily
bread – a physical need. That is a perfect prayer, proving that our physical needs being
brought to the Father align with God’s will.
My only desire is that we would evaluate our lives and our prayers and see additional areas we could pray that would align with the spiritual blessings God has to offer us!
Let us not limit our prayer life to physical and material needs; we wouldn’t lessen our prayers, but we would expand!
I hope you can take this, prayerfully, and evaluate your heart and prayer life. Utilize this
to glorify God and bring blessings on to your fellow believers through spiritual blessings from
God.
In Christ,
Caroline
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