Have you ever had someone pray over you? That is what the Apostle Paul is doing here for the Ephesian church and by extension for all those who have and will read this letter! Settle in and prepare to soak up this amazing prayer.
“15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 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, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:15-23)
Last week we opened a series on Ephesian and looked at the first 14 verses of the book and discovered two key themes: In Christ and Unity. Now, verse 15 opens with “For this reason” Paul “…prays in the light of the wealth of spiritual blessing of which he has just been writing.[1]” “For this reason” Paul has not stopped giving thanks for them. Paul, the Apostle and pastor, has heard about their faith and their love for God’s people.
As Paul gives thanks for his readers, beginning in verse 17 he launches into an intercessory prayer. Intercession is the “Act of intervening or mediating between differing parties, particularly the act of praying to God on behalf of another person.”[2]
Paul begins the prayer with a powerful statement of God’s glory and character. “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father…” Paul’s example reminds us that in prayer we should reflect first and foremost on who God is. We are not praying to our Amazon wishlist. We are praying to the God of the universe. Paul’s prayer is that his readers, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will come to know God better. The gospel is not ‘known’ in the sense of knowing about something, it is experienced in life through relationship with Christ
Verse 18 Paul continues the prayer by referring to the ‘eyes of your heart’ – in the biblical sense the heart is ‘the centre of the personality’[3] Paul prays that people would be enlightened, that in Christ, people can see his light and truth (see John 1:4-5). The light and revelation of Christ reveal hope and inheritance in Christ. This hope “gives the sure promise of life with him as his people for ever…”[4] The inheritance is in fact the thing that hope points to: “life in God for ever.”[5]
Verse 19 Now, grabbing all the synonyms he can find, Paul describes the power of God. Clearly language itself is insufficient. This power is the power that raised Christ from the dead and placed him before all things. Amazingly we may by experience know the power of God as it works in and through followers of Christ. Indeed, this power is a gift of God for people.
I heard a pastor share a story about his experience buying a new truck. He went into the dealership to buy a newer model of his current truck. The salesman showed him the details and they made a deal. The salesman asked if he knew how to work the bells and whistles on the new truck and the pastor assured him that he did as it was the same model he already had, just newer. The salesman said sure, did your old truck have remote start? The pastor said no it didn’t so the salesman said you just click the lock button twice and then hit this circle button and it will remote start. Sure enough it worked as demonstrated and the new truck fired up. The pastor then looked at the key fob for his old truck and realized that he had the same button. He tried it on his old truck and voila, the old truck remote started. For years he had been driving the old truck and didn’t know he had remote start. He had more power available but had never used it because he didn’t know it was there.
Almost certainly we have a hard time grasping the full power of God, but it is there, ready for us to ask and discover it, just as the pastor didn’t know he had remote start until he was shown how to use it. This amazing power of God is revealed in the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in people and raises people to new life in Christ.[6]
In verse 22 Paul begins to wrap up the prayer. Jesus is supreme over all things and is the head of the church. This little verse reveals an amazing truth. Because Jesus is both head of all things and head of the church, the church will always be able to overcome all opposition.[7] Finally, the church, led by Christ, is his body, and is to be the expression of Christ even as he is the one who fills everything.
What can we walk away with today?
[1] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 66). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[2] Thompson, J. W., & Butler, T. C. (2003). Intercession. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, & E. R. Clendenen (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 828). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 69). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[4] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 69). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[5] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 70). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[6] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 71). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[7] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 73). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
“15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 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, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:15-23)
Last week we opened a series on Ephesian and looked at the first 14 verses of the book and discovered two key themes: In Christ and Unity. Now, verse 15 opens with “For this reason” Paul “…prays in the light of the wealth of spiritual blessing of which he has just been writing.[1]” “For this reason” Paul has not stopped giving thanks for them. Paul, the Apostle and pastor, has heard about their faith and their love for God’s people.
As Paul gives thanks for his readers, beginning in verse 17 he launches into an intercessory prayer. Intercession is the “Act of intervening or mediating between differing parties, particularly the act of praying to God on behalf of another person.”[2]
Paul begins the prayer with a powerful statement of God’s glory and character. “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father…” Paul’s example reminds us that in prayer we should reflect first and foremost on who God is. We are not praying to our Amazon wishlist. We are praying to the God of the universe. Paul’s prayer is that his readers, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will come to know God better. The gospel is not ‘known’ in the sense of knowing about something, it is experienced in life through relationship with Christ
Verse 18 Paul continues the prayer by referring to the ‘eyes of your heart’ – in the biblical sense the heart is ‘the centre of the personality’[3] Paul prays that people would be enlightened, that in Christ, people can see his light and truth (see John 1:4-5). The light and revelation of Christ reveal hope and inheritance in Christ. This hope “gives the sure promise of life with him as his people for ever…”[4] The inheritance is in fact the thing that hope points to: “life in God for ever.”[5]
Verse 19 Now, grabbing all the synonyms he can find, Paul describes the power of God. Clearly language itself is insufficient. This power is the power that raised Christ from the dead and placed him before all things. Amazingly we may by experience know the power of God as it works in and through followers of Christ. Indeed, this power is a gift of God for people.
I heard a pastor share a story about his experience buying a new truck. He went into the dealership to buy a newer model of his current truck. The salesman showed him the details and they made a deal. The salesman asked if he knew how to work the bells and whistles on the new truck and the pastor assured him that he did as it was the same model he already had, just newer. The salesman said sure, did your old truck have remote start? The pastor said no it didn’t so the salesman said you just click the lock button twice and then hit this circle button and it will remote start. Sure enough it worked as demonstrated and the new truck fired up. The pastor then looked at the key fob for his old truck and realized that he had the same button. He tried it on his old truck and voila, the old truck remote started. For years he had been driving the old truck and didn’t know he had remote start. He had more power available but had never used it because he didn’t know it was there.
Almost certainly we have a hard time grasping the full power of God, but it is there, ready for us to ask and discover it, just as the pastor didn’t know he had remote start until he was shown how to use it. This amazing power of God is revealed in the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in people and raises people to new life in Christ.[6]
In verse 22 Paul begins to wrap up the prayer. Jesus is supreme over all things and is the head of the church. This little verse reveals an amazing truth. Because Jesus is both head of all things and head of the church, the church will always be able to overcome all opposition.[7] Finally, the church, led by Christ, is his body, and is to be the expression of Christ even as he is the one who fills everything.
What can we walk away with today?
- As Paul prayed for his readers, so today, Christ intercedes for people “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Rom 8:24b)
- Jesus is praying for you! What an amazing truth
- Not only is Jesus praying for you, but the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in people
- Through Christ, the church can overcome any opposition. This is why in over 2000 years, the church has never failed. Indeed it never will fail.
- Rest assured that in Christ you do not and never will walk alone.
[1] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 66). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[2] Thompson, J. W., & Butler, T. C. (2003). Intercession. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, & E. R. Clendenen (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 828). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 69). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[4] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 69). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[5] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 70). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[6] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 71). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[7] Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 73). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
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