Philippians 1:9 – 11 Paul’s Prayer

Your prayer life is a measurement of your spiritual life. Not whether you pray, for all
believers pray, but how well you pray. One commentator puts it this way, ‘The measure of
a person’s spiritual maturity is not how well he or she conforms externally to the command
to pray. The issue is how internally constrained that person is to pray by a strong love for
God and others. The truest longings of the heart will come out in prayer. A selfish and
superficial heart, focused primarily on personal problems, struggles, and interests, will
produce selfish and superficial prayers. A heart focused on the glory of the Lord and His
people will produce prayers focused on God’s glory and others’ needs. A strong sense of
duty cannot compensate for a cold heart or produce fervent prayer.’
1
Whenever I come to
any of the prayers of Paul I am tremendously challenged. Here is a man who has Christ’s
own affections for the church, and pours out intercessions and thanksgiving for the church.
His is a heart gripped with a fervent concern for the church and this shows in his prayers.
As Christians we need regular instruction in the school of prayer.