Before the Father

As I navigate the grief journey of my Dad’s death, I find tears springing to my eyes daily. The main source of my tears is the thought that this side of eternity, I will never get to talk to my Dad again. Some of my most treasured memories are from more recent years when we lived in the same city and would meet once a week over coffee and hot chocolate. We talked about everything from Scripture to family history to solving the world’s problems. Growing up, although there were times I was hesitant to talk to my Dad because I feared disappointing him, I knew there was nothing I could tell him that would change his love for me.

In the second half of Chapter 1, we examined Paul’s first prayer in Ephesians (vs 1:15-23), a prayer to knowthe immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us. Two months ago, in Prisoner of Christ, we read the beginning of Paul’s second prayer: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” (vs 3:1). Paul then paused his prayer, realizing he needed to explain the reason for his imprisonment. Today, we pick Paul’s prayer back up, a prayer to use the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us.

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.^[1]

Ephesians 3:14-21 (emphasis added)

Paul’s second prayer is divided into four sections: strength (vs 16:17a), comprehension (vs 17b-19a), filling (vs 19b), doxology (vs 20-21). Paul’s prayer and doxology close the first half of his letter. It concludes the primarily doctrinal section filled with indicatives (i.e. what God has done and who we are in Christ), and introduces the imperatives (commands) or how we are to live in light of what God has done and who we are in Christ. The indicatives are the foundation for the imperatives to come.

Paul’s prayer is both an entreaty for believers to live in light of all God has done and provided, and a petition to God as the motivation and initiation for believers to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (vs 4:1). This can only come from God’s enabling power through the Holy Spirit.

“For this reason” – Paul repeats how he started to pray in verse 1. Phrases like this point us back to something previously written. Paul points us back to God’s plan from eternity to unite all things in Christ (vs 1:10) which is through both Jew and Gentiles being reconciled vertically to God (vs 2:1-10) and horizontally to other believers (vs 2:11-22). Believing Jews and Gentiles together are being built into a dwelling place for God. For this reason, Paul prays.

“I bow my knees before the Father” -  Although at this time, it was common for Jews to pray while standing, it was not uncommon to bow or kneel. Bowing or kneeling was associated with worship and devotion: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker” (Psalm 95:6, see also 1 Chronicles 29:20; 2 Chronicles 29:29). It was also associated with times of desperation, humility, and repentance (Ezra 9:5; Luke 5:8; Acts 7:60; 20:36; 21:5). We do not know Paul’s motivation in bowing for this prayer, but we do know that one day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11).

Paul bows his knees before the Father. Jesus made it clear that God is not a Father to all. For unbelievers, their father is the devil (John 8:39-47). Only those who are in Christ, who have been adopted as children of God can approach God and call Him Father. Not only is God our Father, but we can call Him “Abba Father” as a child would call their daddy, reflecting a close, loving relationship (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

Let’s stop for a minute. Think about what this truth really means. I can’t count the number of times I have begun to pray, “Heavenly Father,” and then moved on to the rest of my prayer without thinking twice, without being in awe of the One to Whom I was praying. Prayer is a privilege and a joy. On our own, we could never approach God. We could never come into His presence. We could never talk with Him, petition Him, thank Him, praise Him. We have boldness and access with confidence (vs 12) solely because God’s gracious gift in Jesus as our atonement made a way, the only way, for us to be reconciled to God and be made His children.

But there’s more. Our Abba Father is the Almighty, Sovereign Creator of all things. He sustains all things. Apart from Him there is no life or breath. He is omniscient, omnipresent, infinite, eternal, faithful, Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of Hosts, and more. This is the Father to Whom we can boldly, confidently pray to as Father.

Although there were times when I was hesitant to tell my Dad something for fear of disappointing him, we never have to fear coming before our Abba Father. He knows all things. We can’t tell Him a secret He hasn’t always known. We are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. This means that our Abba Father can never love or accept us more or less. Nothing can change our standing before Him. Nothing will separate us from His love, and nothing can revoke our guaranteed eternal life with our Abba Father which is sealed by the Holy Spirit.

As these truths saturate your heart and mind, is it any wonder that Paul bowed his knees before the Father? Perhaps, I too would bow my knees before the Father in prayer more often if I took time to really comprehend to Whom I was praying.

“from whom [the Father] every family in heaven and on earth is named” – Commentators agreed that the word for family in the Greek is patria. It is used only two other times in the New Testament. In the account of Jesus’ birth, it is translated as lineage (Luke 2:4). In Acts, Luke cites Genesis 12:3 and 22:18 in reference to all the families of the earth being blessed through Abraham’s offspring.

Patria was generally used to refer to the descendants of a patriarch such as the Israelites tracing their lineage to the twelve sons of Jacob as Joseph did for the census before Jesus’ birth. Commentators have differing opinions as to what Paul actually means here in this phrase. He might mean what is called the communion of the saints which includes all believers living on earth and those eternally alive in heaven. This would correspond with believers being fellow citizens and members of the household of God (vs 2:19).

Another possibility is it refers more to classifications than kinship. For example, the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (vs 3:10), but that speaks more to the heavenly beings not beings on earth although Paul does continue to direct us to eternal and heavenly thinking in the first half of his letter.

I don’t have a clear understanding to share with you, but the key principle in this phrase is that God is the One naming. He is the author. He is Sovereign. Throughout Paul’s letter, God is central. It is all about Him.

Reflection

1.    Whether you physically bow your knees in prayer, what is your heart posture before God in prayer? Is it awe? Is it routine? A duty? Do you feel entitled? Humble?

2.    When you pray, how do you address God? Do you praise Him first for who He is before bringing your requests? How does your view of God shape your prayer?

3.    In your own words, why is prayer, talking to God, a privilege?

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 3:14–21.