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.

The faith and love demonstrated by the believers in Ephesus shows that they are under God’s blessing (Ephesians 1v3-14), and this fact so enthuses Paul that he cannot help but give thanks and prayers for them. What do I see in my fellow believers? Despite any issues addressed later in the letter, Paul sees this status as fundamental to his relationship with them. So what does he pray for them? He prays for their knowledge and understanding in the blessings God has given them – that they would know God better, know the hope of his inheritance for us, and know the power of God for us. Paul has much else to write on these things in his letter, but let us grasp at this point that this is not just theoretical knowledge that Paul is asking for, but a deep experiential knowledge. Oh, may we have such a deep and enduring experience of God that we really know him and fully appreciate the spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus. Imagine a church where everyone has fully grasped and is totally experiencing all the spiritual blessings listed in Ephesians 1 – and God can do more than you can imagine (Eph 3v20).

So maybe, we can model this prayer of Paul by praying for one another in these words, “Heavenly Father, I thank you for the faith and love in Hope Church, I ask that we would know you in a deeper and deeper way, and fully appreciate the spiritual blessings you have given to us. I ask this because we belong to Jesus who has all power and authority. Amen.”

With love and blessing,

Roland