For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. II Corinthians 4:6 NIV
But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV
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. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, Ephesians 1:17-18 NIV
This unique phrase Paul used in Ephesians 1:18, “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” means that he wanted the members of the churches in Asia to grow in their spiritual and moral understanding. Paul prayed that they would rely on the Holy Spirit to do the teaching and that they would listen, learn and act on the understanding of God the Holy Spirit gave them. Paul told the Church at Corinth, “what we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words,” I Corinthians 2:13.
In Ezekiel God expressed His desire for his people to have undivided, pliable, teachable hearts and that He wanted to give them a new spirit, (Ezekiel 11:19). God wants to transform our hearts morally and spiritually. Paul recorded a similar prayer in Colossians 1:9-10, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Paul prayed for all the believers to be filled with wisdom and understanding given by the Holy Spirit.
Paul prayed these verses found in Ephesians 1:15-23 for the members of the Asian churches near Ephesus in the first century. But this is a prayer I encourage you to pray for yourself, for your loved ones, for your fellow church members and friends. Paul prayed, “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. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,” Ephesians 1:17-18. This is a powerful prayer to pray – that we all need frequently – all of our lives.
By Grace Hunter
