Ewald Schmidt

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:16-17 (NIV)

As Christians, we can so easily tell one another: “I will pray for you…” We tend to say that when a fellow believer experiences a time of suffering or crisis. Sometimes we just say it, because we have no answer to their pain and don’t know what else to say or do.

When Paul referred to his prayer life in verse 16, he used the Greek participle for continued action. It was not just a once-off deal, he continued to pray for them, and was very specific in what he prayed for. The church in Ephesus must have experienced a lot of pain due to the rejection and persecution they had suffered as followers of Christ. But Paul did not start his prayer by asking for their protection, health and wealth as we might have done.

Paul started his prayer by becoming silent in the presence of God, and became deeply aware of Whom he was addressing. Paul prayed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that no one would confuse God with one of the local deities. When he prayed, he was aware of the Father’s glory, it could also be translated as “The Father of Glory…” This was in such contrast to Paul’s circumstances at the time, sitting in a jail cell somewhere, or of the readers in Ephesus, suffering their pain and loss. Our experience of pain sometimes makes us forget that we belong to the Father of Glory.

But this is where Paul started his prayer. He wanted believers to be reminded that we belong to the Father of Glory by the Holy Spirit. He prayed for us to receive wisdom to focus on God, that God might be revealed to us and for us to really know him.

When we focus on ourselves and all the trouble we are facing in our prayers, we can so easily drown in self-pity and bitterness. But when we take time to remember who we are, and to whom we belong, our problems fade to their correct size when measured against the presence of our mighty God!

Prayer: Thank you that I belong to you, Father of Glory! Thank you for your presence in my life. Your goodness and mercy carries me through all of life’s struggles. Help me to know you better every day through the wisdom of the Spirit, and help me to trust you through all the trials and tribulations of my life. Amen.