“Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)
”So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24 NKJV)
“My dear friends, I pray that you will remain strong and not be discouraged or ashamed by all that I suffer on your behalf, for it is for your glory. So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!” (Ephesians 3:13-21 TPT)
Step 1: Probe the prayer under the light of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s keep probing verses 14 – 16…
…So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.
We are on the second item of our list…
…unlimited riches of glory.
…unlimited riches of favor.
…supernatural strength.
…divine might.
…explosive power.
What is the “unlimited riches of favor?” Another word for “favor” is “grace.” This “favor” or “grace” was decreed by the angels to the shepherds when they made the declaration of the birth of Jesus.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14 NIV)
It is also the description that the angel gave to Mary when he informed her that she was chosen to give birth to the Messiah.
“The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28 BSB)
God’s “glory” and “favor” go hand in hand. His “favor” is bestowed upon us freely apart from anything that we do or say. It is in no way earned or deserved. It is because of his “favor” (grace) that we experience his “goodness” (glory). As his “favor” is unveiled within us we begin to experience open doors in our lives. Good things just begin to happen.
As a son of the Most High I am always placed at the head of the line. I am always the next one up for promotion…
…”If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.” (Deuteronomy 28:13 NLT)
The best part of all of this is that for those living under the Old Covenant (prior to the finished work of Christ) blessing was to a very large degree based on personal performance (obedience), while today those of us living in the New Covenant are blessed based on Jesus’ performance. We live in continual favor (grace) even when we fall short. All I can say is, “THANK YOU JESUS!”
I need to pause here to let this soak in. These are not things that I need to reach out to receive. They are not things that I need to plead with God to release to me. They are already within me. They were deposited within me at the moment in which the Holy Spirit took up residence within my spirit. When I received the free gift of salvation the Holy Spirit moved within me and brought with him everything that the Kingdom of Heaven has to offer including “favor.” That favor is released into the reality of my daily life as I think, speak, and act by faith.
Take time to search the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the true meaning of “favor” to you as you think about…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 440: Praying With Paul – Ephesians 3:13-21 Part 5