Who Paul Prayed To
In Ephesians 1:17, the apostle gives a short summary of his prayer to God for the Ephesian believers.
First, Paul refers to God the Father (to whom he is praying) as “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “the Father of glory”. The Father is in His own nature infinitely glorious, the fountain of the whole Godhead and all the divine attributes in the Son and the Holy Ghost. All glory is due to Him from created beings.
What Paul Prayed for His Friends
Paul then mentions what he sought from God for the Ephesian believers. This was “wisdom,” or a further increase of the saving knowledge of God which the Holy Spirit gives, together with a clearer insight into the Scripture where the same Spirit reveals these truths. This “wisdom” mainly consists in the saving, believing, and operative “knowledge of him,” i.e., of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wants the Holy Spirit to remove the natural blindness of their understandings and to bestow a clear discerning of the things of God.
We Should Have Definite Things to Pray For
We should not necessarily restrict ourselves to a set form of words when we pray. Yet we should have set purposes worked out, and a definite point to aim at, when we pray, so that we would be able to give an account of what we are praying for, whether that is for ourselves or for others.
We Must Pray to the True God
Our prayers should be directed to God only. No one else knows us, or the secrets of our hearts. Anyone or anything else is unfit to receive our prayers.
Also when we draw near to God in prayer (whether for ourselves or others), we should do so with confidence and reverence – for these are not mutually exclusive. We should think about God, and express what we are thinking about Him, in a way that will most strengthen our faith and most strike our hearts with reverence towards Him. To strengthen his faith, Paul refers to God as “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” and to bring his heart into deep reverence he calls him “the Father of glory,” or “glorious Father.”
We Should Pray Out of Faith in Christ
In order to have access to God with boldness through Christ, it is necessary to renew the act of faith which applies and appropriates Christ to ourselves. Then, being made one with Christ, we will be seen by the Father as clothed with Christ’s righteousness. This is the way that God will accept both our persons and our imperfect prayers – that is, through Christ. Paul here appropriates Christ to himself as his own, calling Him “our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is necessary also that when we embrace Christ in this way, we do not divide Him into parts, but take to ourselves the fullness of all the perfections which are in Him. This is an evidence of our sincerity in embracing Him, but additionally, nothing less than the whole Christ is necessary to cover all our imperfections, bear us up under all our discouragements, and help us in all the infirmities which beleaguer us in our approaches to God.

If you think you might be called to pastoral ministry or if you’re struggling in your current pastoral assignment, don’t let fear sidetrack that calling. Look to all the privileges and benefits of pastoring while also acknowledging that hard things will happen. You’re not afraid of hard things, I know, but the unexpected hard things could threaten your joy and effectiveness. The Lord is ready to sustain you, providing much joy even amid many sorrows – but you must learn to lean on him.

Preparing to enter vocational ministry is an exciting adventure. You feel a sense of calling – a strong desire to pursue a path filled with meaning and fulfilment. You’re going to get paid to do what you’ve been trained to do, and what you’ve been trained to do is also what you love to do.
What could go wrong? Plenty, as every experienced pastor knows.
Uncovering Common Pitfalls in Ministry
The Duke University study which found that 85% of those who train for full-time ministry are out of ministry within five years likely needs some adjustments and clarifications. Even if the number is closer to 75% or 50%, the point remains: there are significant gaps in our current process of vocational ministry preparation.
In my numerous interactions with pastors, particularly those 10-20 years younger than me (I’m 49), common themes emerge in their stories. They mention feeling unprepared for the fierce conflicts, experiences of betrayal, personal attacks, and rumour campaigns. They are blindsided by people who lead from the shadows and hold power because of their family’s name and influence.
In most cases, the training these younger pastors received was good, but it failed to prepare them for the most difficult parts of ministry. For example, they were not made aware of the unique strains that ministry would put upon their marriages. And they weren’t alerted to the fact that betrayals in ministry are inevitable and that with each betrayal, they would be tempted to distrust and become more guarded.
These are not mere or slight “distractions” from the good work they were trained to do. They are debilitating experiences that hinder pastors’ ability to perform effectively by consuming significant portions of their time with unexpected and unprepared-for challenges.
The Critical First Five Years
I’m convinced this is the story for many who don’t survive the first five years. Numerous competent young pastors find themselves disillusioned, not only with ministry but with life in general. There must come a shift in the training of prospective pastors and a greater emphasis on care and mentoring for those already in pastoral positions.
Challenges in the areas in which pastors are not trained inevitably prevent them from ministering capably in the areas in which they are. Young pastors burnout generally not because regular preaching and teaching are more difficult than they expected, but because these activities too often happen under the immense stress of sharp conflict that is unexpected. The “unexpected” part is the key.
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Written by Aaron D. Messner |
Saturday, August 13, 2022
He comes in judgment against His enemies, none can withstand Him. He swoops in against His prey, swift, fierce, and strong, and none can deliver. When He secures an eternal home for His people and covers them with His protection, we are safe indeed. None can harm us there. When He elevates and upholds our spirit in times of trial, none can drag us down. And when He saves, He does so to the uttermost with absolute and unfettered victory. 

The eagle in flight is a picture of serene beauty and majestic strength. It is not without reason that nations and empires, both ancient and modern, have embraced the eagle as their symbol, and one who is acquainted with the Scriptures will certainly call to mind God’s bearing His people “on eagles’ wings” (Ex. 19:4) and causing them to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isa. 40:31). Such words stir the heart and inspire the poetic imagination, but what exactly do they mean? What is the actual theological reality behind the literary metaphor in Scripture? To understand this more fully, it is helpful to take in a fuller range of references to eagles and eagles’ wings in Scripture.

For starters, the eagle is portrayed as a bird of prey (Job 39:27–30), and in keeping with this idea, the most common way that eagles are referenced in Scripture is as images of devastating, swift, and unstoppable judgment. Judgment (generally in the form of an invading nation) comes “swooping down like the eagle” (Deut. 28:49) or “swiftly like an eagle” (Jer. 49:22) or “like an eagle swift to devour” (Hab. 1:8). Mighty foreign nations in the Bible (such as Babylon and Egypt) are often portrayed as an eagle (Ezek. 17:3, 7; Dan. 7:4). So in the Scriptures, “the eagle’s wing” often brings swift and unstoppable destruction and death.

Yet at the same time, the eagle is also portrayed as a nurturer and protector of her own chicks. Job 39:27–30 speaks of the eagle as a bird of prey, but it also highlights that the eagle seeks its prey to feed its young, who dwell secure in the “nest on high . . . the rocky crag and stronghold.” The eagle is thus used in Scripture as a metaphor for God’s tender care and sure protection of His people.

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