“…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,” Ephesians 1:17-18
I wonder how many times you’ve ever asked God for some wisdom. Ten, fifty, one hundred, or more? I imagine that I’m not alone when I say that this prayer is a regular of mine. More often than not, I find myself in situations where wisdom is needed fast, and I have asked God to give me wisdom more times that I can count. And I’m not ashamed.
Today, we find Paul in the middle of his heart-felt prayer for the Ephesians. He’s already stated that he doesn’t stop giving thanks to God for them and that he prays regularly for them. Now, he begins to give us some of the specific details of his prayers for them, and he starts by asking God to grant them “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation.” Take a moment and look up Colossians 1:9. What did Paul say he was praying for in this verse?
The idea behind what Paul was asking God for was that these believers would have sanctified minds. The word sanctified means to be made holy or consecrated. The city in which these believers lived was filled with all sorts of idolatry. Their minds had been repeatedly exposed to false teaching and myths. So, Paul’s prayer was very intentional as he asked God to redeem their thinking and sanctify their minds.
Along with this sanctification that Paul was praying for would come godly knowledge and insight. Have you ever read a portion of Scripture and walked away with nothing more than, “Huh?” You try to understand what you are reading, but you never seem to fully grasp the depth of it. Paul addressed that problem in his prayer. This godly knowledge and insight that he’s asking God to give them would equip them to know, understand, and believe the hope that is found in Christ Jesus alone. A sanctified mind is capable of grasping the hope and the inheritance that is ours in Christ Jesus.
So, my question to you today is this: Are you praying about this? Have you struggled to understand God’s Word and to truly know the One you say you follow? Ask God to grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Ask Him to enlighten the eyes of your heart so that you will be able to know the hope that He has called you to, the hope of future glory with Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you every time you open up His Word. Ask Him to remove the veil that keeps you in the dark, lacking understanding. Ask Him to sanctify your mind and to redeem your unholy thoughts. Ask Him to give you godly knowledge and insight. And come to His Word expectant for Him to show up, because He will. Every time.
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