15 For this reason, because I have heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to
give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit
of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 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, 19 and
what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might 20 that he 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
and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not
only in this age but in the one to come.
22 And he put all
things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills all in all.
-
Ephesians 115-23 - ESV
Do you remember the last time that you were given detailed instructions
only to find yourself lost by the time you were half-way through the
presentation? This could have been when
you started a new job, asked someone for directions, bought a new phone, or
were trying to learn how to use Excel. It happens often in life, and most of the time
we settle for never fully understanding what we needed to know. We simply didn't “get it”.
This could be the reason Paul moves immediately to prayer following
his doctrinally rich doxology in verses 3 through 14, which contain crucial doctrine
essential for the spiritual well-being of every Believer. So important, that Paul
moves immediately to prayer asking “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the
knowledge of him”. Paul’s
prayer is that the through the work of the Holy Spirit, the Father would give wisdom
and a clear knowledge that is rooted in the heart – he wants us to really “get
it”. Simply put, Paul is asking for
spiritual eyesight - “Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened”.
So what
does this spiritual eyesight involve?
First, it looks to the past with a true understanding of God’s call – “that you may know what is the hope to
which he has called you”.
Paul is clearly praying that the Ephesians would understand the blessing
that they have in being chosen by God in eternity past. John Stott puts it this way, “He called us to Christ and
Holiness, to freedom and peace, to suffering and glory. More simply it was a call to an altogether
new life in which we know, love, obey and serve Christ, enjoy fellowship with
him and with each other, and look beyond our suffering to the glory that will
one day be revealed”.
Second,
Paul’s prayer includes a request for spiritual eyesight looking into the future
or, “What are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints”. Remember
the best is yet to come when all things on heaven and on earth are made new and
united in Christ. Again form John Stott,
“God’s inheritance will not be a little private party for each individual but
rather “among the saints” as we join the “great multitude which no man could
number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing
before the throne and before the Lamb”
That is good news!
Third, Paul prays for spiritual eyesight for the present when
he asks that they know “the immeasurable
greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his
great might”. This is what enables the
Believer to have a genuine hope . . . it is the power behind the hope,
literally “the energy of the might of his strength”. So how can we know this power? Paul gives three examples. 1) God’s power is shown in the resurrection of
Christ. God has done what no human being
can do: conquer death. That is to take a
rotting, decomposing corpse, and restore it to life. 2) God’s power is evidenced when He seated Christ at His
right hand in heaven and put all things under Christ feet. That is to say, God
placed Christ in the place of supreme honor and executive authority. In doing
so He fulfilled Psalm 110:1. “The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your
enemies your footstool.” This
also takes us back to Genesis 1:26 where God gave Adam “dominion” over all the
earth. This time someone was put in
charge who would not mess it up! 3) God’s power is seen in His divine
appointment of Christ as the head of the Church. In making Christ the head of
the church, God not only gave Christ ownership and authority of it, but it is
through Christ that Church has life. He
sustains it with “The fullness of Him who
fills all in all”
This is
a prayer for a deep understanding of the Gospel. When “the
eyes of your hearts [are] enlightened” so that the Believer understands
that they were loved in eternity past and will be loved through eternity future
and because the Triune God loves us, we will not just be sustained or kept by
His power, but are being transformed day by day, little by little! “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy,
he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1
Peter 1:3-4).
Father, grant me the grace to have the wisdom and clear knowledge to get it . . .
really get it!