Paul Asks God For Divine Illumination (Eph. 1:17-20)

In this passage Paul elaborates on  his teachings  about  the importance of prayer.  He stresses the  fact that it is  only   through   our  Heavenly Father that we can  gain spiritual knowledge of  what  it  means to be a  Christian and truly  appreciate and live in the  “riches of the glory of His  inheritance   in the  saints.” Christianity is a  “here  and  now” religion as  well as  an  eternal one.  God  desires that  we  know  His will. The passage we are  writing  about  tell us of that  desire and how  to obtain the  blessings. Paul prays for them to be enlightened, that is, to see clearly God’s work in Christ.

Denny Petrillo, President of the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, writes these   words, [One} will always be  excited  to  find a  prayer in a biblical  writing, for  prayers  reveal what is really on the writer’s heart and  mind. Does it make sense that Paul would say ‘this is what I’m praying  about concerning you’ and then proceed  to ignore the pints  of that  prayer in the Epistle.”

The  first  reason Paul gives  for our  needing God to open the eyes of our hearts is so we  might know God better. In Colossians 1:9-10 Paul prays  for God  to  give them wisdom so that they  may  continue “growing in the  knowledge of God.” J. I. Packer, wrote that  those  who know God have  four  characteristics: great energy for God, great thoughts of  God, great boldness for  God, and great  contentment in God.”

In  Eph. 1:19 in  The New American Standard Version, 4  words are used  to  refer to God’s supremacy.  The  four  words are (1) power, (2) working, (3) strength, and (4) might.  Denny Petrillo  writes, “By using all of these terms Paul is stressing the point about as far as possible: God is at work with all of  His omnipotence! …Here it is the demonstration of  God’s power toward us  who believe.”

Praise  God that  our  Heavenly  Father loves  us  so much  that He has  “blessed us  with  every spiritual blessing in the  heavenly place in Christ.“ (Eph. 1:3) Although  we  may  not  completely   comprehend this  great  blessing until we meet Him in the  air”,  or when  we  pass from this life to our eternal reward, we  can be thankful of   the  love of God for us.  It should  motivate  us  to love  Him more and  love each other and strive  to  equipped for service.

 

http://larryslines.com/living-as-a-christian/thoughts-from-ephesians-number-7.html

 

Larry Miles is co-editor of Word and Work and worships at Cherry St. Church of Christ,                  

                                                                                                                              New Albany, IN.