A Way to Pray for Believers

Thanking God for Other Christians

When was the last time you thanked God for other Christians? When was the last time that you prayed, saying, “Thank you God for [so and so],” naming another Christian whom you know? From his letter to the believers at Ephesus, we learn that Paul did this continually. In the opening chapter of his letter, we find a very lengthy sentence offering an inside glimpse into the way that Paul prayed for these believers (Eph 1:15-23). It is fascinating to observe that from a grammatical standpoint, the main verb of the entire sentence is this: “I do not cease to give thanks for you” (Eph 1:17) [1]. What can we learn from this central statement?

Thank God for other Christians.

The word give thanks means “to express appreciation.” A more specific definition adds “for benefits or blessings,” describing a grateful, warmhearted response to the good things in life [2]. So then, Paul viewed other Christians as a benefit and blessing of life and he thanked God for them as a result. For whom are you thankful? Can you name some fellow Christians who are a benefit and a blessing to you today? If so, then you should go beyond feeling thankful for them to expressing your thanks to God in prayer.

Thank God for the faith and love of other Christians.

Paul reveals two key factors which motivated him to thank God for the believers at Ephesus (Eph 1:15). The first was their faith in the Lord Jesus.  This requires us to reflect back over the first half of this chapter, which is another very long sentence (Eph 1:3-14). This section describes all that goes into the salvation of any believer. Of course, the believer hears the gospel and believes it (Eph 1:13). But God – the Father, the Son, and the Spirit – do so much more to make this salvation and faith possible and to bring it to pass (Eph 1:3-12, 14). The more complex and exquisite, expensive and detailed something is, the more you will appreciate it. So it is with the faith and salvation of any other Christian. When you understand all that went into bringing a person from death to life, from sin to salvation, then you will thank God profoundly for anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus.The second factor which motivated Paul to thank God for the believers at Ephesus was their love for all the saints. This, too, is a wonder of God’s grace. For other believers to show the care and compassion, kindness and patience of God towards one another is a miracle indeed. We don’t deserve such love, and we do not naturally offer it to one another. Therefore, when you see, hear, or experience the love of God from the life of one believer to another, then you are witnessing something remarkable for which you should give God thanks. The love of Calvary has motivated such love and made it possible. Christian love for one another is a major and significant thing. Do not take it lightly.

Thank God for other Christians continually.

Paul explained that he not only thanked God for the believers at Ephesus, but he did so without ceasing. This does not mean that he prayed for them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Instead, it means that expressing thanks for them to God was neither a momentary impulse nor a temporary habit that eventually passed away. It was both a feeling and a practice that continued for him without termination. It is somewhat natural to hear something positive about another believer and to express thanks. However, such feelings and expressions of gratefulness may easily fade away. The more you learn about other believers, the closer you become to them, and the longer you spend time together, the easier it becomes to grow irritated by their faults rather than remaining grateful for their faith and appreciative of their love and service.By his own example in prayer, Paul teaches us to be thankful to God for other believers and to express this thankfulness in prayer on a regular basis. In fact, he demonstrated this principle to other believers in other churches beyond Ephesus. He thanked God for the believers at Rome, even though he had never met them (Rom 1:8). He thanked God for the believers at Philippi, with a special focus on the way that they had partnered with him in his missionary work (Phil 1:3, 5). And perhaps it is most remarkable of all that he thanked God for the believers at Corinth, even though they displayed significant carnality and caused him excruciating duress (1 Cor 1:4).

Thank God for other Christians beyond normal gratitude.

One writer observes that Paul manifested a degree of thankfulness for other believers which surpassed conventional gratitude.Although Paul’s current connection to the Ephesians comes only through hearing, he thanks God for them and prays for them. On the one hand, for a writer to give thanks to the gods for the health of the recipients is quite conventional in Hellenistic letters. On the other hand, the extent and detail of Paul’s thanksgiving in Ephesians, and elsewhere, is not conventional. The language here goes well beyond conventional expressions of good wishes. [3]Does this describe the way that you express your appreciation to God for other believers? Do you thank God for their faith in Christ and love towards others? To you thank God for them continually? Do you thank God for them to a degree which surpasses normal gratitude? Having considered these thoughts, may God help you to do so and more. Who are some other believers for whom you can thank God today?

Praying for an Understanding Spirit

When you’re not sure how to pray for other Christians, you should follow the example of Paul by thanking God for them (Eph 1:15-16). You can also follow his example by asking God to give them a spirit of understanding (Eph 1:17). That is what he did when he “mentioned” them to God in prayer (Eph 1:16).By mentioning them in prayer, he first asked God to give them a certain kind of spirit. Some translations suggest that Paul here is referring to the Holy Spirit, though it is a vague reference as such. It seems best to view this as a reference to the inner human spirit of the believers for whom he prayed. In this way, it may be understood as a reference to the personal disposition of these believers towards God.Second, this inner disposition for which he prayed consisted of two primary aspects: wisdom and revelation. Wisdom refers to understanding things in such a way that you are able to act in a more accurate and skillful manner. In this way, it entails more than accumulating knowledge by encompassing improved behavior as well. Revelation refers to disclosing, uncovering or revealing something which formerly has been hidden, covered, or unknown. Paul specifies the knowledge or disclosure to which he refers in the next phrase, “the knowledge of him.”Now Paul was not praying for the believers at Ephesus to receive new revelation directly from God. Instead, he was praying that they would have the inner capacity to understand new revelation about God and from God, with a special focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ. He makes this clear in the following verses by referring to a series of profound factors related to the person and work of Jesus Christ and to our new relationship with him. In one sense, these factors were definitely “new revelation” to the church because they were newly revealed to the apostles and passed along to the church through them. But imparting this knowledge to the believers as information alone would not guarantee their full understanding. That is why Paul prayed for them to have an inner spirit and disposition both to experience this new revelation of God in a personal way and to put it into practice.The series of factors which Paul describes in the following verses are nothing short of astounding (Eph 1:18-23). They are extravagant, magnificent, grandiose, and bold; but most importantly, they are real. Yet for these factors to influence and transform your life, you need God’s help to understand and apply them for yourself, for all their worth. You need to know them for sure, but to what degree to these factors – this revelation of God and from God – genuinely influence and change the way that you approach God and the way that you conduct your life? To this end, Paul prayed for other believers. He prayed that they would understand the spiritual realities which are revealed to us in the New Testament about God, about Christ, and about our profound relationship with him. As you pray for other Christians, you can pray the same as Paul. Ask God to give them an inner disposition that experiences and applies the truth about God and Christ in a truly understanding way.

Understanding the Full Scope of Your Calling

The more believers you know, the more easily you may take for granted the supernatural significance of anyone who converts to Christ and grows in his grace. Paul did not take this for granted but remained profoundly grateful.When Paul prayed for other believers, he also prayed for them to receive from God an increased capacity to understand the truth about Jesus, as revealed in Scripture (Eph 1:17-21). He desired for them to not only understand this truth, but also to learn how to translate this truth into a meaningful, skillful, wise approach to life. The result of this would not be receiving new revelation and insights from God apart from the incarnate ministry of Christ and the revealed canon of Scripture. Instead, it would be an enlightened mind which would see more clearly and comprehend more completely the message and meaning which God had already revealed.Altogether, Paul prayed that the believers he named would understand three things more clearly: (1) the hope of God’s calling (Eph 1:18), (2) the riches of his inheritance (Eph 1:18), and (3) the greatness of his power (Eph 1:19-21).What is “the hope of his calling?” Hope refers to a confident expectation, an unrelenting anticipation of what awaits in the future. This most likely refers to our future resurrection from the dead in a fully restored but sinless body into a life with God which will never end. Calling refers to the invitation which we have received from God. The pronoun his highlights God the Father as the one who gave the invitation (Eph 1:18). Later in this letter, Paul refers to the “hope of your calling” (Eph 4:4). The pronoun, your, in this latter instance shifts focus from God as the one who issues the call to believers as the ones were the recipients of this call.

The implications and results, challenges and responsibilities of God’s calling permeate your life in many significant ways beyond the future resurrection event.

As one who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and who has given evidence of genuine faith by showing love to other believers, you have responded to a divine invitation. This invitation guarantees your personal participation in the future resurrection and the eternal life which follows, delivering you from evil in all its forms forever. However, the implications and results, challenges and responsibilities of this calling permeate your life in many significant ways beyond the future resurrection event.

• God has called you to fellowship with his Son (1 Cor 1:9).
• He has called you to peace (1 Cor 7:15).
• He has called you to grace (Gal 1:6).
• He has called you to freedom (Gal 5:13).
• He has called you to his kingdom and glory (1 Thess 2:12).
• He has called you to holiness (1 Thess 4:7; cf. 2:13-14).
• He has called you to eternal life (1 Tim 6:12).
• He has called you to light (1 Pet 2:9).
• He has called you to suffering (1 Pet 2:20-21).

Now that, friends, is a lot to chew on. A new believer can neither know nor understand all that Christ calls him or her to be, to do, and to experience. He must understand the essential elements of the gospel message, but there’s so much more to discover beyond the first page of that never-ending story called “The Christian Life.”

A new believer can neither know nor understand all that Christ calls him or her to be, to do, and to experience.

On that first day of school in kindergarten, you became a student; but you had no idea what that would mean for you in the next twenty years of your life as you would eventually make your way through college. On the day you exchanged your wedding vows, you became a spouse; but you had no idea, despite weeks of premarital counseling, what your marriage would require of you and all that it would become. When you begin your new profession, welcome your first child into the world, move to a new country or neighborhood, or buy your first home, you know a lot of things on one hand and so very little on the other.The Christian life is this way. God calls you to salvation and you respond in faith. He places within your heart a new perspective, an undying hope and confident expectation that never goes away. You will be raised from the dead someday, just as Christ himself. You will be with Christ in your restored body, unaffected by sin forever. You may know this to a degree and this hope will guide you through the remainder of your present life. But the hope of this calling will deepen and expand. It will influence you to many more discoveries in God’s Word that will draw you closer to Christ, pull you through many trials, and lead you to achieve greater things for God’s glory. The full view of your calling is far more expansive that you understand today.

As Paul thanked God for the faith and love he witnessed in other believers, he prayed that they would increase in awareness of all that their calling entailed, for it encompassed far more than their original faith and whatever glimmers of love shined through at the beginning.

As Paul thanked God for the faith and love he witnessed in other believers, he prayed that they would increase in awareness of all that their calling entailed, for it encompassed far more than their original faith and whatever glimmers of love shined through at the beginning. There would be more and richer experiences to come and they must understand their calling more clearly and completely to experience this for themselves. For this he prayed, and for this you may pray for other believers.

Understanding the Glory of Your Inheritance

Paul refers to this inheritance twice in this chapter (Eph 1:13-14, 18). He teaches that the Holy Spirit is the “seal” of our inheritance as believers (Eph 1:13). The word seal means a “down payment,” “first installment,” or “deposit.” We receive this first installment the moment we trust in Christ for salvation, and God will provide the full payment of this inheritance in the future when we enter his eternal kingdom and the new world which he will make. This “down payment” of the Holy Spirit indwelling our lives serves at least two purposes.First, it guarantees our place in God’s family and kingdom forever because it is a permanent seal which no man may break nor alter. (For more about the unbreakable seal of the Holy Spirit, click here.) Second, it provides believers with a taste now of the kind of life we will enjoy with God forever. In this sense, the indwelling and partnership of the Holy Spirit today is a small preview of our life in the future world which God will make for his children.This concept of an inheritance originates in the Old Testament, when God “redeemed” the nation of Israel out from slavery in Egypt. In this context, it referred to the Promised Land of Canaan which God promised to give them as a possession and inheritance. New Testament writers borrowed this terminology to refer to something larger and more profound, using “inheritance” language to refer to the eternal kingdom which God will establish forever for all his people, not just for the nation of Israel (Matt 5:5, 25:34; Rom 8:17; 1 Cor 6:9; Jam 2:5).

Under Construction

Paul teaches us that believers are a “purchased possession” of God. He has purchased us at a very high price and continues to preserve us with great effort and care, and so we belong to him. Even so, the restoration process which he has begun for us all, transforming us into the likeness and glory of Christ, remains incomplete and “under construction.” This ongoing project will end in the future when he sets us free from the influence and effects of sin completely. This will include the full liberation of our bodies and the physical, material world from the influence, effects, and tendencies of sin (Rom 8:18-23; Eph 1:14). At that time, God will also give to us a portion, a share, an allotment in the future world which he will make and the kingdom which he will establish for eternity.Paul describes this future inheritance as “riches” or “wealth,” which indicates that our eternal inheritance from Christ will include a high degree of both value and abundance in God’s eternal world and kingdom (Eph 1:18). The ultimate purpose for this lavish blessing from God, in both a spiritual and [eternally] material sense, is not the pleasure and enjoyment of God’s people, which certainly will be the case. (For a study at what it means to “accumulate treasure in heaven,” click here.) Though our enjoyment will be replete, this sheer enjoyment will bring about a far greater result – the resounding praise of God himself for his extravagant goodness to his children (Eph 1:6-7, 12, 14; 2:7; 3:21).

The Ultimate Outcome

World, national, and business news touts Top 10 lists, like the Top 10 Companies to Work For, the Top 10 Happiest Countries, and the Top 10 Happiest States. Yet no place on earth can begin to compare in any way to the happiness of God’s people when he redeems them from sin, gives them a full inheritance, and invites them into his kingdom forever. Our praise will echo the words of the heathen nations and the Jewish nation when God delivered them from captivity, though our praise will certainly exceed them (Psalm 126:2-3).Then our mouth was filled with laughter,And our tongue with singing.Then they said among the nations,“The LORD has done great things for them.”The LORD has done great things for us,And we are glad.When you trusted in Christ for salvation, did you know that he was giving you an eternal, glorious inheritance in heaven which will never fade away? Peter echoes this encouraging news when he said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:3-5).

Implications for Today

By learning more about your future inheritance and by understanding its implications for your life today, you will be able to make better choices as a Christian living in an upside-down world. According to Jesus, you avoid stockpiling and accumulating excessive material resources in this life, devoting your attention to accumulating treasure in heaven instead (Matt 6:19-21). Paul elsewhere urges you to focus your attention on eternal pursuits rather than earthly ones (Col 3:1-4). And Peter teaches us to embrace the promised outcome of this coming eternal inheritance as a guide through the suffering and loss which we experience in this present life as believers (1 Pet 1:3-5).

Understanding the Magnitude of God's Power

Paul’s heartfelt prayer provides us with an example of how to pray for other believers. First, he thanked God for them (Eph 1:15-16). He also asked for God to give them an understanding spirit (Eph 1:17). He prayed that they would understanding the full scope of their calling and that they would more fully understand the glory of their future, eternal inheritance (Eph 1:18). In addition to these requests, he also prayed that they would understand something else – the power of God that stands behind them.

The Exhaustive, Comprehensive Power of God

In describing this request, Paul supplies an additional degree of emphasis. He does this in two ways. First, he uses a variety of words which mean power. Second, he describes this power in magnified and superlative ways. Regarding the first, he uses five words for power.

• δύναμις (dynamis) refers to his ability to do things (“his power,” Eph 1:19).
• ἐνέργεια (energeia) refers to something that he does or accomplishes (“the working,” Eph 1:19).
• ἰσχύς (ischys) refers to his capability, strength, and personal potential (“mighty,” Eph 1:19).
• κράτος (kratos) refers to his might and strength (“power,” Eph 1:19).
• ἐνεργέω (energeō) refers to the act of working, producing, or causing something to happen (“worked,” Eph 1:20).

To understand this compact mixture of different but related words, it seems best to focus on the meaning which they share together rather than to press for precise differences between each one. By using these words all at once, Paul emphasizes the sheer magnitude of God’s power. His power is comprehensive and exhaustive, not limited to one word or another. He is, in fact, all-powerful and omnipotent.Paul intensifies this emphasis on God’s supreme, awe-inspiring power by describing it in magnified and superlative ways. He says that it is exceeding, which means that it surpasses your ability to measure or comprehend; it is the highest degree of power (Eph 1:19). He also says that it is great, which means that it is the highest, most impressive kind of power that exists (Eph 1:19). With this in mind, Paul prayed that the believers he knew would increase in their understanding of this divine power of a colossal magnitude.

The Focus of God’s Power

Paul explains the way that this power relates to the life of an ordinary Christian like you. He explained how it is relevant for the Christians for whom he prayed, with equal importance to the Christians for whom you pray as well. Like a magnifying glass which concentrates sunlight to a dry leaf and as Niagara Falls gushes its water on the ground below, God channels his power towards those who believe (Eph 1:19). He does not scatter it indiscriminately to everyone in the world. He directs it unreservedly toward those who believe on Christ.To better understand the nature of this power, you need to consider the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ (Eph 1:20-22). God displayed the full magnitude of his power when he accomplished his redemptive work through Christ. That same resurrection power stands behind you today, secured by the authority of Christ as God and King at the divine throne. He exercises all power and authority over the kingdoms of this world, the rulers of the spiritual world, and all aspects of nature throughout the entire universe.This power secures your final salvation and place in God’s kingdom, no matter what powers, authorities, or influences threaten you in this life – even if that be Satan himself. This power also enables you to navigate the challenges of this present life in a skillful and victorious way. Do you understand the magnitude of this power? Does it undergird the decisions that you make, the way that you think and live, and the way that you pray? Do you live in calm reliance upon the magnificent power of God at work on your behalf, or do you live in fear of the other lower (far lower) powers which you also encounter?About this passage of Scripture (Eph 1:15-23), Max Anders shares the following remarks:

This, then, is the lot of the Christian—a rich lot but one we scarcely comprehend. We have been chosen by God the Father to be his spiritual children. In Christ, our sins have been forgiven, and we have been given an inheritance that this world knows no way to measure. In the Holy Spirit, we have been sealed in Christ, made secure until our final redemption when we will see the Lord face-to-face. Clearly, the magnitude of these blessings escapes us, or else we would be more consistent in living for him than we are. That is why Paul ends the chapter by praying for us that we might comprehend the significance and magnitude of the blessings. (Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary [Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999], 94-5).

We would do well to consider the things that Paul emphasizes in his prayer for other believers. We would also do well to pray for other believers, making similar requests.

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[1] Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 27–28.[2] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 427.[3] Stephen E. Fowl, Ephesians: A Commentary, ed. C. Clifton Black, M. Eugene Boring, and John T. Carroll, First Edition., The New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012), 55.