“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (KJV, Eph. 1:17-19).
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Father, I thank You for Jesus Christ today. He is a wonderful Savior, and it is to Him that I look. He has come and has done what I could never do. He has satisfied Your wrath, fulfilled Your law, made the way of salvation, and conquered death.
I was dead in my trespasses and sins without hope and without God. But Your Son came to seek and to save the lost. He came to fulfill your will and Your plan of redemption. No other name is given to man by which man can be saved. Jesus is the way, truth, and life and is the only way to You.
“The Father of glory”
Thank You for the glorious gift of adoption. I was a child of wrath like the rest of mankind, but You made me alive with Christ and saved me by Your grace. You adopted me into Your family, and Your Spirit testified with my spirit that I am a child of God.
You have not given me a spirit of fear to fall back into slavery, but You have given me the Spirit of adoption. I have been born again to a living and abiding hope. I have been born again into Your family, and for that, I am thankful.
“may give unto you”
You have been so generous to me. You have given me much more than I deserve. When I look to Your Word, I read about what I deserve. I read that all have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. I read of the wages of sin being death. My wages should have been death and the grave. But You have given me an abundant life in Christ. Words cannot adequately express the praise that is befitting of Your name. Nevertheless, You are worthy, God, to receive the honor, glory, dominion, majesty, and might.
“the spirit of wisdom”
Father, I pray that You would give me more of Your Spirit. I recognize that Your Word says that Your Spirit abides in me. However, I also realize that Your Spirit can be manifested in me in a more significant measure. Therefore, I pray for a greater manifestation of Your Spirit. I pray that Your Spirit would become more and I would become less. My only hope for holy living is that Your Spirit would bear His fruit in my life, and I would live a life for Your glory by my fruit-bearing.
“and revelation in the knowledge of him”
Thank You for Your Word. Without Your Word, I would not know You. Thank you for causing men down through the ages to write Your Word and leave what they had witnessed for me to read. I pray that You would burden my heart to read Your Word.
When Jesus prayed in John 17, He stated that Your Word sanctifies my life. The author of Hebrews tells me that Your Word is alive and active, and it can discern the thoughts and intentions of my heart. Thus, Your Word can sanctify to the uttermost. May I never neglect the reading of Your Word.
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened”
Would You enlighten the eyes of my understanding today? I need the Spirit of illumination to come and open my eyes so that I can see. Your Word tells me that nobody knows the mind and thoughts of God but Your Spirit. Thus, if I want to know Your mind and thoughts, I need Your Spirit to be at work in my life.
Help me not to quench the work of Your Spirit. Instead, may I be sensitive to His leading and still small voice. May I move in the proper direction through His gentle convictions and never abuse the grace You have given me.
“that ye may know”
I am assured that You are God. I am assured that You sent Your only Son to be the Savior of the world. You have told me in Your Word that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. I know there is no other way to You, Father, but through Your blessed Son. I am assured, along with Paul and John, that there is life after death. The resurrection is the greatest revelation of this reality. Jesus rose from the dead, defeated death, conquered the grave, and is alive forevermore.
“what is the hope of his calling”
Father, I thank you for the hope You have laid up for me in Jesus Christ. You have caused me to be born again to a living hope. Jesus is alive and regaining in heaven. He is seated upon a glorious throne and has the scepter of righteousness.
Jesus is for me and not against me. Jesus desires that I would call Him King and Lord and has died so that I could. He has bled for me on Calvary. I do not serve a harsh ruler but a Servant Leader. He is worthy of being served and honored. My hope is in Him.
“and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”
You have called me to a marvelous inheritance. I cannot fathom what it entails entirely. But Your Word tells me that You have adopted me into Your family and made me a co-heir with Christ. I have been brought near through the precious blood of Christ. I am not simply saved, but I am in Your family. Thus, You have called me to an inheritance rooted in Your riches. I know what worldly riches look like, but there is no adequate comparison regarding Your wealth.
“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power”
You are not only wealthy, but You are powerful. You have not only given me of Your wealth, but You have given me of Your power. Father, sometimes I look at my life, and it does not seem as though there is much power. I see my failures and shortcomings. I see my sin and corruption. But You have promised me that You have given me power. Please give me the wisdom to understand why my experience sometimes attests to something different.
“to us-ward who believe”
Herein I see the answer to my request. Power is for those who believe. If I allow my experience to dictate what I believe, I will never have the ability to receive what You want to give me. Jesus said that those who have faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.
On the other hand, when Jesus was in his hometown of Nazareth, I read of Him not doing many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Therefore, increase my faith today so that I will believe Your Word. Make my faith like the faith of the centurion whom Jesus commended as having faith as He had not yet seen.
“according to the working of his mighty power”
Finally, I pray for the power of the resurrection. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now mightily works within me. You have united me with Christ through the baptism of Your Spirit. Jesus and I are one. His death was my death. His burial was my burial. His life is now my life.
You raised up Your Son by Your glorious power to newness of life. He lives in heaven and glorifies You in all that He does. May I set my mind on Christ seated upon His throne, and may the life of Jesus and Your glorious power be manifested in my life this day? In Jesus’ name, Amen.