The Road Through Ephesus... Praying Ephesians 1:16b-17

So the gloominess has broken for now and the sun is shining brightly with beautiful white clouds drifting in the sky. In other words, it's gorgeous outside. Though the breeze is a bit strong, I am always thankful for one :-) So let's jump right in, shall we?

Ephesians 1:16b-17

"I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you may grow in your knowledge of God."

Prayer. It's so powerful. Yet, as humans, I don't think we can ever fully understand it. Maybe that's why I love that we find so many examples of what to pray for and how to pray in the Scriptures. So let's take a look at how Paul prays for the Ephesian church and how we should pray for the people in our lives.

Look at the first phrase: "I pray for you constantly..." Do you see the word "constantly"? Check out some of these definitions for the word constantly: not changing or varying, unceasing, faithful, continual, persistent, unswerving, steadfast (from dictionary.com). Does that describe your prayer life for the people in your life? Do they know that they can depend on you for persistent, faithful, continual prayers on their behalf? Do you know people that you can trust to pray that way for you? How amazing would it be if every Christian prayed this way? If we were unceasing in our prayers? Wow.

The next part of the verse shows that Paul knows exactly who he is praying to. He asks "God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." He knows exactly who he is approaching with his requests. He believed God was who he said he was. Do we approach God believing that he will answer our prayers or do we approach with an attitude of indifference?

I love what Paul prays for the Ephesian church. He prays for spiritual wisdom and insight for them. Isn't that what we really all need? Wisdom in the ways of God and insight for living them out? Perhaps what I love even more than what he prays for the Ephesian church is why he prays those things for the Ephesian church: "so that you may grow in your knowledge of God." I think I like it even better the way the NIV says it though, "so that you may know him better." In case you didn't realize it, the him spoken of here is God. Paul is praying for the Ephesian church to know God better. Honestly, this is how I want all of my friends to pray for me now. I want them to pray for spiritual wisdom and insight so that I might know God better.

Let's pray that way for each other, shall we?