Skip to main content

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

Popular posts from this blog

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 ...

Free From Doing Whatever I Want

Often we think freedom is being unshackled to do whatever we want. This is the greatest bondage though. Only in Christ can we be free from doing whatever self desires. To will against oneself is utterly impossible unless the Spirit of God is birthed in us. And when this happens, the war begins. The Spirit against the flesh, the flesh against the spirit-- before the Spirit entered it was simply self reigning. Now there's an adversary to my selfish desires who can conquer me as I can not. Oh praise the Lord for Him, who makes freedom possible, though not comfortable or easy, lest we think we no longer need Him. This breaking of self feels at times as though ripped apart within, tortured between desire and will. Yet the best freedom is within reach-- the abundant life that Christ offers. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me. Oh if I only lived this way always! To live against selfish desires is to truly love-- only think of it, how much you could serve, how much you co...

Let God Give You Something Heavy To Lift

My six-year-old groans when I give him a gallon of water to carry.  He grunts and struggles, huffs and complains. Finally, he begs me to help. I slip a finger under the container’s handle, carrying most of the weight. Suddenly, he’s walking tall, carrying the jug easily. Dear reader, this is what God does for us. Don’t you want God’s strength in your life? God can’t show Himself strong in your life unless He gives you something heavy to lift. Instead of begging Him take away the hardship, try asking him for strength to carry it. Then when people see you are lifting something so heavy, you can say, “It only looks like I’m carrying this. God’s doing all the lifting.” They will see your life, and glorify God. How awesome is that! “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 Ponder this: The heavier your life, the more strength God will give you. What are you lifting right now?...