Title: Paul's Prayer/Ephesians 1:17-19/
Contents Today's reading is Paul's prayer in Chapter 1. When we think about prayer, we can talk about the prayer the Lord first said and the Lord's prayer that He taught us to pray like this.
Verse 17: The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, has given you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, that you may know God,
“The word “Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation” refers to the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation. The word “Spirit of Wisdom” expresses the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is the ability to discern and understand the will of God in the sense of discernment, insight, and understanding. Wisdom is to distinguish between good and evil, and to know what to do and what not to do. What does God want us to do in the place we live and where we are today? What does He want to do through me? At home, at work, at school, at church, at church, at Sunday School, at women's evangelism, in the district, in the choir, in any department, we discern what we should and should not do there What we do is called wisdom, and it is called the inspiration and influence of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit does these things, Paul is praying to the God of glory. God of glory, give us the Holy Spirit of wisdom to the members of the Ephesian church.
Why does Paul pray for the Spirit of Wisdom? Because this Spirit of Wisdom leads us to the fear of God.
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who keep his commandments have good understanding; the praise of the LORD endures forever.
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will descend upon him, the god of wisdom and understanding, the god of counsel and might, the god of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
I pray for the Holy Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Revelation reveals hidden secrets. It means that the cover or covering has been removed.
God's revelation in the Bible is generally expressed in two ways.
Natural revelation and special revelation.
Natural revelation is the revelation of God through the heavens, the earth, and all things God created.
The special revelation refers to the revelation of God to us in a special way, not in a natural way, such as the 10 plagues in Egypt and the miracle of the Red Sea. The words of the Bible are special revelations, and Jesus Christ, who came to this earth in the form of a human being, is also a special revelation. Paul is praying that the hidden spiritual graces of heaven will be revealed to the Ephesian church members. We are praying for spiritual blessings.
2. Pray to get to know God.
Paul prays that God will give the Ephesian church members the Holy Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they may know God rightly. The word to know means to know, to know accurately and correctly.
It refers to the knowledge of the blessings that God always gives us and the knowledge of God's will for us.
The way for us to know God and to know God's will must be revealed by God and the Holy Spirit giving us wisdom.
The reason Paul prays like this is because we rely on, trust, and believe in God as much as we know God.
Knowing and not knowing God has tremendous consequences.
The prophet Hosea says:
Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel; the LORD has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land; there is no truth, no kindness, no knowledge of God in this land... (6) My people have no knowledge. to perish with
Hos 6:6 I desire mercy, not sacrifice; I desire the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
To whom does God give the Spirit of Wisdom and reveal hidden spiritual graces and truths?
Psalm 107:9 "He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry with good things." God said this through the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you; and if you seek me with all your heart and seek me, you will find me.
Just as Paul prayed for the Ephesian church members, I pray that all the members who came to worship at this time today will come to know the God of glory.
3. We pray that the eyes of the hearts of the members of the Ephesian Church will be opened.
The Bible says that the heart is the guide of perception, faith, speech and action.
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the wellspring of life.
You must not become a blind saint with a blind eye. The eyes of your heart must be opened and you must see what is in your heart and what you long for.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew in me an upright spirit.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
concluding remarks
Ephesians 1:17-19 The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, has given you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that you may know God, and enlighten your hearts and eyes to see what is the hope of his calling and the glory of his inheritance in the saints. I pray that you may know what is the riches and the exceeding greatness of the power that is bestowed upon us who believe according to the work of his mighty power. Paul said that the God of glory has given the Ephesian believers the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. I pray that you will know and open the eyes of your heart. So I want to give us the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation at this time just as Paul prayed. So, knowing that God is God, our eyes are opened, so what is the hope of the calling God has called us and what is the inheritance in the saints? I pray that you will come to know what is the riches of the glory of God and the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe as He works with the mighty power of His power.