For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven
and on earth is named. Ephesians 3:14-15
In this passage, Paul is talking about praying to
the Father—praying to the God who is before all things and above all things and
over all things and he says, “For this reason I bow my knees before the
Father?”
For what reason?
Why does Paul bow his knees before the Father? The phrase, For this reason, tells us. It directs us
back to everything Paul has said from Ephesians 1-3:13. In the first three and a half chapters in this book, Paul talks about the saving work of God.
He talks about the great work that Christ has accomplished for
believers.
Back in chapter 1, Paul explains to his Christian
audience that before they were anything to anybody, they were loved and favored
by God. He says in Ephesians 1:4,
God
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
For
this reason, Paul says, I bow my knees before the Father.
In verse 7 of Chapter 1, Paul explains to the
Christians of his day that not only has God chosen them, but he also explains
that His Son has sacrificed for them so that they might be saved.
Paul says, For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father.
On down in vv. 13-14 of chapter 1, Paul explains
that not only have believers been chosen by the Father and redeemed by the work
of His Son, but they have also been sealed by His Holy Spirit. He explains that when we trust in Christ
for salvation, the Holy Spirit unites us with Him and secures us in Him—He
seals us, keeps us, protects us and preserves us in Christ forever.
Paul says, For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father.
In chapter 2, Paul reminds his Christian audience
that though they were at one time dead spiritually because sin, God has made them alive through Christ. In vv. 1-10, Paul tells his Christian
audience that they have been saved from sin, to life, by God’s grace, through their
faith, for good works.
And he says here in Ephesians 3:14, For this reason I bow my knees before the
Father.
And then at the end of chapter 2, Paul tells his
Gentile audience of what Christ has done for them. He says,
(Because
of Christ) you who once were far off—you who were once outside of God’s
Kingdom, His covenant, His promises—separated from His Son and His people,
without hope and without God)—he says, because of your faith in Christ you have
been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Paul says, For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father.
That was Paul’s motivation when praying. As he reflects back on what God has done for
His people through His Son and as he thinks back on this breathtaking survey of
God’s saving work in Ephesians 1-3, Paul is moved to pray.
God’s Gospel, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
should move us to praise Him, love Him, serve Him and especially pray to
HIM. If you are struggling when it comes
to prayer, it might just mean that you are neglecting so great salvation as it
says in Hebrews 2. Your lack of
motivation when it comes to prayer might be due to the fact that you are
not feasting on the wonderful truths found in God’s word.
