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 the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. Ephesians 1:15-17
This is a prayer Paul prayed for the Christians of
his day. Notice he says in this passage,
“My main prayer for you—my prayer I pray for you every time you come to mind is
that God would give you the Spirit of wisdom
and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
He says, “I’m praying that God would give you wisdom. I’m praying that He would reveal Himself to
you. And I’m praying that your hearts
would be enlightened to these truths.”
Are you picking up on the theme here? What is the essence of Paul’s prayer? Paul is not praying that the Christians of
his day would demonstrate godly behavior—he’s not praying that they would
conduct themselves in a god-honoring way.
He’s praying that they would be sound in mind. Paul is praying for their minds. He is praying that God would give them
biblical insight and would give them the Spirit of wisdom. He is praying that He would reveal to them
what is true of HIM.
Think about how different this is from the way we normally pray? When we pray, we pray for action. We say, “Father help me to obey. Change my behavior—live in and through me. Help me to live more like this and less like that. Help my children to do this and not do that.” That’s how we pray. But notice Paul doesn't here. He says, “My prayer for you, is that you would be enlightened—my prayer is for God to give you the Spirit of wisdom and reveal to you what is true of HIM.”
Why does Paul pray in this way? Why pray for them to know rather than do? Because Paul knows that godly behavior stems from godly thinking. He knows that if believers are going to be faithful in practice, they must first be sound in doctrine.
Think about how different this is from the way we normally pray? When we pray, we pray for action. We say, “Father help me to obey. Change my behavior—live in and through me. Help me to live more like this and less like that. Help my children to do this and not do that.” That’s how we pray. But notice Paul doesn't here. He says, “My prayer for you, is that you would be enlightened—my prayer is for God to give you the Spirit of wisdom and reveal to you what is true of HIM.”
Why does Paul pray in this way? Why pray for them to know rather than do? Because Paul knows that godly behavior stems from godly thinking. He knows that if believers are going to be faithful in practice, they must first be sound in doctrine.
Scripture is clear that right thinking must precede right living. If we don’t think rightly about God, we will never live rightly for Him. Paul understood this, which is why he prays in this way. He knows that if our minds change so will our actions.
