In this final section in Chapter one of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul moves into a hopeful prayer for the church that they will be able to gain deeper insight into the powerful workings of God in every circumstance and situation, as well as the rich gifts that are to be found in Jesus. Picking up in verse 15 of chapter 1, Paul prays,"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."
1) God desires to give us a spirit of wisdom, revelation, and a deep knowledge of Himself. The central issue here is the magnitude of the glory of God. Notice that the reason God gives us these insights and gifts is so we will be able to know Him more, which naturally draws us to worship Him as Ultimate in our lives, which naturally brings Him glory. While He is not obligated to give us anything, He gives us everything, so that we will in turn give everything we have to Him. He is the one who does the work and our worship for Him as ultimate is the goal, again the core issue is God's glory.
2) God wants us to understand His immeasurable greatness, power, and might combined with an ultimate authority over everything on earth and in heaven. I believe if we truly understand God's greatness, it will cause us to be more reliant on Him. It might even make us question Him less when things go bad, although I'm not completely convinced that this truly can ever happen (at least in this life), but maybe as we purpose to glorify and worship Him, life becomes easier to turn over to Him every situation/ circumstance (both good and difficult/hard).
3) Jesus is the Senior Pastor of the Church. It is super important to recognize this truth. Understanding that Jesus leads His church in position #1 is the starting place for any church. Men are not perfect, and even the most educated, gifted leaders can make mistakes. I'm convinced at this point in my life that Jesus absolutely needs to be the Senior Pastor of the church that He has called me to under-shepherd, and that anything we do must be because He leads us to it. Any move we make, every step our churches take must be because of Jesus' direction and calling.
Final Thoughts– As Paul closes the first chapter with prayer, I thought it would be wise to do the same here. My prayer is, "Help me Lord to see you for who you truly are and help me to see how great and powerful your might is. Help me with my reliance upon you for everything, and please help me keep you the focus of everything, giving you glory and honor in everything from leading and loving my family, church, friends, family and the lost, to having faith when things do not go the way I had hoped. Please help me to see your Son in the light of your glory and help me to continually be looking to glorify you in everything I do."
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