Who Prays Like That?

Thoughts on Ephesians

Guest post by Yulia Beatty

Where do your thoughts go when you find yourself by the sea? The vastness and power of the sea make me think of how small and frail I am. But I also think of peace, boundlessness, a mystery hidden in the deep that can only be revealed if I walk further in and dive down deep to see them.

Walking with our God is like walking into the sea. The prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1 calls me to go deeper.

Paul prays that through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation we may know:

• the nature of the hope to which He has called us (1:18)

• the true and imperishable riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (1:18)

His incomparably great power for us who believe

Jump in!

Paul does not pray for an abundance of new things we are yet to learn and experience, but for depth in our understanding and obedience to the things that were revealed to us when we first believed.

Paul knows I am in the water and can swim, but he prays I will take a dive deeper into the ocean!

What treasures we find!

Paul’s prayer also reveals to me how he himself focused on God and His work. He models to me how to fill my prayer with the truth about who God is – Who for the sake of His grace made me alive with Christ, Who is King over all heads and principalities in all times in every place! Paul reminds me to pray in the power of the Spirit to continuously strive toward getting to know Him better.

Attention, strong current!!

The incomparably great “POWER” which raised Jesus from the dead, is for us who believe. This means that in my internal and external struggles I am never alone and I am never powerless. The Spirit of God is in me. God empowers me for “…when the day of evil comes, to stand my ground, and after I have done everything, to still stand” (Eph 6:13).

God’s armor enables me to overcome my impatience, to defend my unpopular Christian opinion, to unapologetically teach my kids to follow the gospel regardless of the social pressures around them, seek conflict resolution, walk away from temptation, and share the gospel with courage.

A new way to pray!

We tend to pray for friends who are in trouble, but rarely pray for those who are doing alright. Indeed, it’s unusual to pray for them as Paul did. But this kind of prayer is eternally significant for our spiritual well-being, as well as for the well-being of our coworkers, church members, and our spiritual and physical children! (Eph 6:18-19).

Let’s be honest!

Even though the presence of God and His consistent love in our lives does not change, I’m sure you would agree that at times we get distracted. Instead of surfing with joy on the waves of our spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph 1:3-14), we act like children who don’t know how to swim—so we play in a puddle or worse yet decide to take a walk into the desert!

When I realize I’m out of touch with the Lord, I am also reminded how apart from Him I can neither grow nor serve Him well. That moves me to walk deeper into the sea. Even if the water seems really cold at first, I keep walking forward—that is, I return to studying and meditation on Scripture. And as I take steps deeper into the water, Paul reminds me that in Christ I am chosen (1:4), saved by the grace of God who raised me and made me alive in Christ (2:4-9). He insists my life in Christ has a different look (5:1-2, 5:8-11) and a new purpose (2:8-10; 5:8-11, 5:15-16).

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

Where do you think God would have you dive in for greater depth of understanding from these Thoughts on Ephesians?

How have you experienced God’s strong power in the face of opposition?

Using the promptings from Let’s Be Honest! describe your current walk with the Lord.

Yulia is Belarusian by birth and a linguist by training. A mother of two boys, she speaks five languages, and is an accomplished TEDS graduate. Since 1999, Yulia has been with Cru, initially ministering to students in Belarus before following her husband David to Albania, where he had lived and ministered since 1991. Currently, the Beatty family lives in Hungary.

"The Power of Moments"

The Power of Moments, Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

When Randy Brunk speaks, I listen.

Randy serves as headmaster where three of my grandchildren attend school, and I always look forward to his address on Grandparents Day. So, with pen and paper, I sat poised to transcribe his comments. When the assembly concluded, I left eager to take action and read the book he enthusiastically reviewed and recommended, The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.

As the Simon & Schuster book jacket states, “The New York Times bestselling authors … explore why certain brief experiences can jolt us and elevate us and change us—and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.”

A few highlights give you insight into the content:

Transitions should be marked, milestones commemorated, and pits filled in. That’s the essence of thinking in moments.

A defining moment of connection can be both brief and extraordinary.

Sometimes, in life, we can’t get over the truth until we trip over the truth.

We will never know our reach unless we stretch.

If we want more moments of connection, we need to be more responsive to others.

And personally, this next statement is my top favorite from the pages, because it reminds me of those we loved and worked alongside in our sojourn in Eastern Europe and Russia.

If you want to be a part of a group that bonds like cement, take on a really demanding task that’s deeply meaningful. All of you will remember it for the rest of your lives.

Finally, this book broadens the reader’s horizon to imagine the magic, wonder, and yes, power of moments. From the classroom to the boardroom—from the dining room to the hospital room—these pages motivate one to view life and relationships through the lenses of moments. “We can be the designers of moments that deliver elevation and insight and pride and connection. These extraordinary minutes and hours and days–they are what make life meaningful.”

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Which statement from those highlighted attract your attention?

Why?

When in the near future will you have the opportunity to see and capture the power of a moment?

Must This Trial Master Me?

The raw reality of the afternoon phone call left me feeling crummy. Not knowing what to do in the aftermath, I knelt in one of my favorite spots to pray. Bowing before my blue wingback chair, I talked the matter over with my heavenly Father. Soon after, I lifted my pen. One sentence ended, and another started as the words poured forth onto the pages of my journal.

Gently then, as only He can do, the Holy Spirit took over and guided me to my desired haven. After a lengthy season of quiet contemplation, stability emerged—not in absence of the trial—but in the reality that He was now in control.

I invite you to join me in my living room and observe how The Lord led through this painful maze. His schooling for me embraces three realities:

Let it

With my emotional boat taking water, I revisited the phrase Let it.

The Book of James contains this often-overlooked concept, which offers profound wisdom in the how-to for holding on in the turbulent sea of a trial. He admonishes us to stop fighting (wrestling) the trial and Let it; Let the process produce a godly result.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4 ESV). When we release the trial into the Hands of Providence, He receives it and somehow uses it for His glory, our good, and our growth.

So Let it; let the trial do the work He intends, which is refining our character and molding us more into the Image of His Son.

Leave it

Then, Leave it with Him. Leave it. My tendency is to give the trial to God, and then grab it back, mentally, that is.

You and I suffer the temptation to rethink, rehearse, reword, and recreate all angles and aspects of said trial. In this stew, we become victims all over again of our own thought pattern, and we find ourselves, once more, chained like a prisoner to the very matter we want to submit to God’s control.

The only way to break this destructive cycle is to Leave it. Leave it with Him. The pure delight of peace and confidence comes—and stays—when the trial remains in His Hands, not mine. Indeed, the re-offering must transpire, because we are human. But each time, yet again, Leave it I must.

Live

The joy of living a full and abundant life does not depend on my trial being resolved! No. The enemy wants me to believe this, but such deceit rises as a lie from his pit.

On the contrary, The Word of God tells me, In Thy presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). His presence is with me and His presence provides my joy, not the resolution of my trial. Sure, feel-goods—spiritual endorphins—are replenished when the trial eventually abates, but His anchor of joy remains fixed throughout the process.

So, from my wingback chair to my walk back into life, I share my conviction of Let it, Leave it, and then Live. No, this trial does not have to master me, or you.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

When did you last feel that a trial threatened to sideline you?

How did you manage to move forward, in spite of its painful reality?

Which part of this process (Let it, Leave it, Live) seems most helpful to you?