“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” Ephesians 1:17

I have found an immense blessing delving into the prayers of Paul. I have always had the conviction that God actually leads our prayers because He wants us to be involved in what He is seeking to do in our own lives and in the world. As He inspired Paul to pray for for the believers at Ephesus, these prayers–included and preserved in divinely-inspired Scripture–reveal what God desires for us as well. He desires that we grow in the knowledge of Him.

We know God because we have personally received Him in our life as Savior and Lord. The Bible assures us that He abides with us and within us. But He wants us to know Him in a deeper, more intimate relationship. He doesn’t want us to be satisfied with just being saved; He wants us to discover the abundant life available to us and power for serving Him.

This comes through wisdom and revelation. God is readily revealing Himself and His fullness to us, but we often miss those insights into His nature and character and all-sufficient grace because we are so self-centered and busy. We need wisdom to connect circumstances and what we consider as coincidences to God’s revelation. He is trying to teach us and give us opportunities for growth through daily experiences.

Paul continues his prayer in the next two verses and outlines what we stand to gain if we would be spiritually sensitive to allow God to enlighten our understanding of who He is and what He is doing in our life. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph. 1:18-19a).

The “hope of His calling” implies that we haven’t received it all yet; there is still more. Of course, that hope is eternal life in heaven, something that we still look forward to, but there is more to discover in this life as well. He has called us to victorious living, abiding peace and holiness, and it all has been provided through an experiential, growing knowledge of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“The glory of His inheritance in the saints” is the future reward that is assured. Because we have become one with the redeemed saints of God in the body of Christ, His Church, we can be confident of that glorious inheritance in heaven. It is disturbing how many people who have received Christ, been baptized and are members of a church, continue to be concerned whether or not they will go to heaven. Our eyes need to be enlightened to the reality of that glorious inheritance.

And finally, Paul prays that we would be enlightened to know and comprehend, “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” It is apparent that Paul is struggling to adequately express the power that have been made available to us; not only is it great, it surpasses greatness. It is without limit because it is the power of Almighty God Himself that is poured out if we only believe and accept it–power to overcome sin, power to be His witness, power to walk in holiness and victory, power to overcome the world!

There it is–the hope of His calling, the glory of His inheritance and the greatness of His power. I join Paul in praying your heart would be enlightened to see it, believe and experience it. It comes from knowing God.