First prayer of Paul for the Ephesians
Eph 1.16-19, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might”
I really like this prayer; it is so rich and profound. As with the Colossians, Paul was particularly happy with the Ephesians. He had only heard good things about their faith and charity. So, it is with a heart filled with joy and gratitude, that he constantly prayed God for them, asking:
· That He gives them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in His knowledge. The Holy Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God whom He knows the things (1Cor 2:10-11). However, Jesus promised that He would take what belongs to Him and reveal it to us; and as everything the Father has is also His, the Spirit actually takes and declares what belongs to the Father (Jn 16:14-15). Thus, Paul is praying that the Holy Spirit may reveal to them things that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, that God has prepared for those who love Him (1Cor 2:9). He will even later say that it is also by revelation that he himself had had knowledge of the mystery about which he wrote (Eph 3:3). He then prays that they would be wise in the management of these revelations and of what they will know from God. That’s why Jesus often commanded those who had known Him as the God who heals (those He had healed or delivered), not to mention it. Paul also spoke of someone who was caught up into the third heaven, into paradise, and heard unspeakable words which are not lawful for a man to express. It was him (2Cor 12:2-4). This is the kind of prayers that we can also do for ourselves.
· That they may realise the riches of their glorious inheritance. Paul knows that with persecutions, Ephesians might wonder if all this is worth it and if they are not chasing a lure. So, he prays in advance that God should open the eyes of their heart and give them a glimpse of the glory which truly awaits them. As long as Peter and John had not seen, their faith wavered. However, the day God opened the eyes of their heart and they saw the resurrected One, they no longer feared any intimidation, nor blows, nor prison. They said to those who threatened: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Ac 4:20). For the same reasons, we must also pray that the eyes of our heart be enlightened and that the Lord may reveal to us the wealth and glory that are attached with doing His will and fulfilling our mission on earth.
· That they may realise the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe. A power that He deployed by raising Christ from the dead, and sitting Him at His right hand in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named (vs. 20-21). As I said, with the persecutions that would not fail to come – especially as Paul himself was writing from a prison -, they had to experience the power that could transcend any opposition so as to persevere and not to become discouraged. We similarly need this power because the world is increasingly hostile to anything that just alludes to the Gospel. On the other hand, what the Lord expects of us is not necessarily easy. We already know God is powerful and we know we received this power when we were baptised in the Holy Ghost; but we need to realise how great this power really is.
Have a wonderblessed week in CHRIST JESUS, the LORD!
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