Good Morning Friends,
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know him better. I pray also 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 the saints, and his incomparably great
power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:17-19)
It’s interesting to compare Paul’s prayer
requests with our own. When I pray for myself and for others, I’m likely to be
praying for health issues, financial issues, job-related issues, family issues,
or some other issue related to what is happening in life. And there is
certainly nothing wrong with those prayer topics. Paul told the Philippians to
“present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Whatever concerns our hearts
is appropriate for our prayers. God is concerned about what is happening in our
lives.
However, what strikes me about Paul’s prayers
is that they are typically focused on spiritual issues, not issues of this
life. It’s not that he wasn’t interested in this life, but it was that he knew spiritual
life was far more important. The issues of spiritual life and growth were at
the front of his mind and were his deepest concerns for himself and for those
he cared about.
When he prayed here for the Ephesians, he
prayed that they would know God better – see the hope He has given them,
understand more fully the inheritance awaiting them, and experience the power
He desired to exhibit in their lives.
I don’t want to be discouraged or discourage
anyone else from bringing the issues of life to God in prayer. However, I do
want to grow in my ability to see the truly important issues that transcend this
life and are of the Spirit. I long for my prayer life and yours to be
reflective of a heart that understands what is important and is set on those
things that truly matter!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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