Ephesians 1:15-23Evangelical Heritage Version
A Prayer for Knowledge and Strength
15 This is why, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation in knowing Christ fully. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, just how rich his glorious inheritance among the saints is, 19 and just how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe. 20 It is as great as the working of his mighty strength, which God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that is given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 God also placed all things under his feet and made him head over everything for the church. 23 The church is his body, the fullness of him[b] who fills everything in every way.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
True knowledge is a gift from God.
When we know God for who he truly is, that is the most important and basic truth that anyone can accept.
The apostle Paul prays that God will give his readers the spiritual powers of wisdom and revelation.
Paul knows that God is eager to give Christians these gifts. When we have godly wisdom, we understand how God’s world works, and we understand what to do.
When we receive the spiritual power of revelation (vision), we can see what lies ahead and be confident that the future is in God’s hands.
Wisdom and revelation from God lead us to know God better.
Our increasingly wise thoughts inform us that the power and love and goodness of God are without end.
Through revelation the Spirit shows that no matter how much we meditate on God and his Word, we will never see to the end of his goodness, power, and love.
Increasing knowledge of God sets us on the path toward holiness.
This is not just a matter of accepting facts about God.
We learn and experience that God is good and loving and just.
When we grow in the knowledge of God, we begin to offer him our reverence and obedience, which he truly deserves.
Paul began his prayer for the Ephesian church by asking God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Paul was not asking God to provide them with the Holy Spirit – they already had him (Eph. 1:13-14).
It would be best to understand this as a spirit of wisdom and revelation. That God would to grant them wisdom. And that he would reveal himself to them.
The goal of this prayer request was for them to know God better. You might understand knowing God better in two different but related ways. First, that they would come to experience more about God. An intellectual knowledge.
And as they learn more about him, they would also grow in their relationship with him.
This is true in most relationships.
The more I learn about a person, the deeper our relationship can grow.
It is important, though, not to be content with just an intellectual knowledge.
That, in itself, has little value for us.
Paul’s prayer here is still appropriate.
That you pray this for yourself.
And that you pray this for other believers.
None of us will ever outgrow the need to know God better.
Let’s step forth, storm the gates of heaven and pray daily, fervently, for wisdom and revelation so our knowledge of, connection to God continuously increases.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Praying …
Psalm 90:12-17 Evangelical Heritage Version
Mortal Man Needs God’s Grace
12 Teach us to number our days in such a way
that we bring a heart of wisdom.
13 Turn, O Lord! How long!
Change your mind toward your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your mercy,
so that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 Let your deeds be seen by your servants
and your majesty by their children.
17 May the kindness of the Lord our God rest upon us.
Establish the work of our hands for us.
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 