A Prayer from Paul

I still enjoy getting handwritten mail. There's such personality in handwriting. Paul often had a scribe write his letters, but on occasion he penned the words himself. Imagine breaking the wax seal and unrolling a long scroll that contained this prayer from the heart and hand of the apostle; imagine he's writing this directly to you.

"(I pray) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-20

This is my desperate prayer for my life and for my children. I pray this for you also, may the Lord bless you with Himself

and with understanding as we study this prayer. One of the most helpful exercises for studying the Bible is verse defining. I enjoy doing this because it helps me understand scripture on a deeper level. First, I break down the high concepts by writing it in simpler terms; always using other Bible passages and the broader context to understand the meaning. (I ask what does it say, not what do I want it to say).

Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him- rationale and vision for life founded in relationship with Christ.

Eyes of your heart- spiritual sight

May be enlightened- given understanding

Hope of His calling- joyful expectation

Riches of the glory of His inheritance- the true value of His transforming power at work in us

Surpassing greatness of His power toward us- He is able to do more than we could ever ask

Then I write it out like this:

What did I learn from this verse?

Rationale and purpose for life come from knowing Christ. My spiritual sight must be given understanding for three reasons: to recognize the joyful expectation in the Christian life, to know the true value of his transforming power at work in us, and to understand and really believe He is able to do more than we could ever ask.

Ponder this: Do you really believe God's working His purpose out in you? Do you see evidence of it in your life?

Comments

Unmasking The Gospel

L ike it or hate it, masks and other protective measures are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. I’ve felt a “stuck in the middle'' attitude towards them with deeply opinionated friends on both sides. Through this I’ve found that there’s thoughtful information and well-meaning believers on both sides of the Covid response. When we take an “us versus them” mentality on such superficial issues, we are divided and inadvertently mask the Gospel-- dear reader, this shouldn’t happen! When we focus on all of the litany of rules and regulations, we're ignoring a burgeoning truth pulsing under the Covid crisis. The gospel doesn't have to be masked! There's no sign saying "No Gospel allowed" (yet!). When Paul was in prison he wrote a letter speaking of rejoicing because even though he was in chains, the gospel was not chained, the word of God was not chained. Now, the entire world fraught with a disease-- or fraught with the response to this disease-...

In My Body, Not Of It

I became my body. Nothing like a postpartum struggle to upend mental stability. After having my son in 2021, I went through the deep waters of anxiety and depression. My crises point came when I became my body. My mind was consumed with trying to fight insomnia, not wanting to eat, and problems with hypertension caused by deep anxiety. I focused on how to feel better and all my time was devoted to what medication/ vitamin/ exercise would cure me. Mind, body, spirit-- in terms of wellness is all connected. Sure. But after this trial I caution you about the trend that's taking a materialistic extreme. It's a subtle shift among believers to suggest that since the spirit is in the body it's of the body. Truth is if Christ's spirit indwells you, if the Father and the Son have made their home with you, then your spirit is from above. I am in the world, but I am not of the world. In the same way, I am in my body but not of it. (This is only true for the believer, an unbeliev...

Beware Of The Eternal Now

Nothing lasts forever, right? Well, nothing earthbound anyway. Of course God is forever. And so is the human soul. But circumstances, life experiences-- good and bad-- are all momentary. We read that "the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17). But sometimes we feel like we're in a forever moment. No matter how much life moves around us, a specific circumstance may feel like it will never change. These forever moments can be good or bad. I remember getting married the feelings of joy and contentment that immediately followed that I felt wouldn't change. Or when I graduated college, or after having my first child. These moments of joy I wanted to last forever. But hardships come and with them bad forever moments. Like arguments, difficult pregnancies, unemployment, and lost friendships. The longer I live the more I find my forever moments are difficult. I love the line in Laura Story's song ...

a surrendered life

Search This Blog