When we do not pray, there are a multiplicity of reasons that we offer for our waywardness:
- busy-ness
- weariness
- apathy and distractions
- lack of knowledge about what (or how) to pray
- sin
May I suggest also that one primary reason we do not pray is because we either do not know or do not believe the authority of the One to whom we pray and our access to Him.
In Ephesians 1, Paul is exceedingly careful to expound the activity of the triune God in our salvation — the Father has blessed, chosen, predestined, and adopted us (vv. 3-6); the Son redeemed and forgiven us, lavished His grace on us, revealed the mystery of His will to us, and given us an inheritance and hope (vv. 7-12); the Spirit has sealed us and been given to us as a pledge (guarantee) of our inheritance (vv. 13-14).
The entire Godhead is (and has eternally been) active in our salvation.
Then, as Paul summarizes the first three chapters in a prayer for the Ephesians, he notes the availability of the triune God in prayer. Moreover, the three requests in this prayer correspond to the three persons of the Godhead:
- that they would know the power of the Spirit (vv. 16-17)
- that they would know the love of Christ (vv. 18-19a)
- that they would know the fulness of God (v. 19b)
This God who has eternally prepared and brought about our salvation not only makes Himself accessible to us through prayer, but He also offers His divine power, love and fulness for the daily living of our lives. As I said, one reason we do not pray is because we do not know what has been made available to us. This infinite, majestic, holy, powerful, wrathful, gracious and loving God is also the One who is our accessible Father!
John MacArthur well summarizes our position before our God and Father when he writes,
Because God is our heavenly Father, we do not come to Him in fear and trembling, afraid that He will rebuff us or be indifferent. We do not come to God to appease Him as the pagans do to their deities. We come to a tender, loving, concerned, compassionate, accepting Father. A loving human father always accepts the advances of his children, even when they have been disobedient or ungrateful. How much more does our heavenly Father accept His children, regardless of what they have done or not done? Paul approaches the Father with boldness and confidence, knowing that He is more willing for His children to come to Him than they ever are of going to Him. He knows that God has been waiting all the while with a Father’s heart of love and anticipation. [Ephesians, p. 101.]
So the appeal to us to pray is not out of guilt and obligation, but from a gracious, generous, and sweet invitation from God Himself that we might delight in Him and in coming to Him. Come and pray because you can!
Words of Grace 