Bulletin Articles
Paul’s Prayer to the Faithful in Christ Jesus
Brothers and sisters, we should be praying for one another for various things, but I want to focus on the prayer that Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:15-19. Paul says that he ceases not to give thanks for you, you being saints at Ephesus but also you being the faithful in Christ Jesus. This comes after he said he heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints. Paul is saying, "I won’t stop giving thanks for you," and this is how Paul does not cease to give thanks—by making mention of the brethren in his prayers. So by praying for each other, that is a way for us to give thanks for each other.
Now, I want to dive into the context of Paul’s prayer because it’s not like the usual prayers we hear today—prayers for jobs, promotions, cars, houses, or any of these material things. It’s not even a prayer for health or for success in earthly matters. Now, there is nothing wrong with praying for these things, but my point is that Paul doesn’t mention any of these things in his prayer here. Paul prays that God gives the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of their hearts be enlightened, or in other words, that their minds can see and continually see spiritual truths and comprehend His will. Remember, this is something that Paul prays God gives—God is the one who is able to enlighten, bring to light, or illuminate the way you see or understand things. The way you conclude and discern things. He can help you to see it how He sees it.
So, in that spiritual enlightening, Paul prays for three things that they may know. One is that you may know the hope of His calling. Paul prays we have a confident expectation in all the wonderful things that God promises to those who follow Him. He doesn’t want us to be unsure about the things He has promised. He wants us to trust Him, like when He says or promises something, it’s already done. The second thing Paul prays for is that we know what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints are. In other words, Paul is praying for us to come to know or understand how valuable and glorious the inheritance we have is as God’s people. There is nothing on this earth more important or valuable than the inheritance we have as saints. Finally, Paul prays that they know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. Whatever you have seen in your life that made you think, “Man, that was great,” whether it’s a person in sports, someone academically performing, how someone conveys a message, or something you have seen, or even someone you know and it brought to mind greatness—well, Paul prays that you may know that God’s extraordinary power is far beyond greatness. And here’s the best part: it is active and at work in the lives of believers.
So, in conclusion, Paul prays that you may have a confident expectation in all the things that God has promised, that you may know the value of the inheritance we have as God’s people, and that you may know that God’s power is beyond greatness. It’s so far beyond greatness that His power brought Christ back to life, and that same power is at work in the lives of His children today.
