Devotionals by Jill Briscoe

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly. - Ephesians 1:15-16

What motivates you to pray? Bad news? That seems to be a pretty common motivation. There’s nothing like a good crisis to drive us to our knees! When trouble confronts us, we tend to pick up God like a crutch, only to discard him when trouble is past! But good news, not bad news, is Paul’s motivation. He teaches us a much-needed lesson, showing us how to pray for people who don’t need praying for! Paul describes these Christians at Ephesus as having lots of faith in God and lots of love for each other. These Christians were living a life full of joy and making their mark in society. “Why waste valuable prayer time on them?” some may ask.

There are so many needy Christians, sick people, and marriages in trouble. First of all, Paul tells us to undergird and protect the strong ones in prayer. That’s important. The devil keeps his sharpest arrows for his most effective enemies. The apostle prays that these Christians might know the Lord Jesus even better than they do already. He prays that they will have hearts flooded with light, so that they can see something of the future God has called them to share. He prays that they will experience strength of will through God’s power.

This is a fine passage of Scripture to use in praying for those who don’t need praying for. Use it—believers will thank us for making mention of them in our prayers.

For Further Study: Ephesians 1:15-23

Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.

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