Scripture Daily

Context No. 1812 of 4322 · Ephesians

Context · Reflection

Ephesians 1:15-23: in context

15For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, 18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Paul prays for the Ephesians, that God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know him better, the eyes of their hearts enlightened to grasp three things: the hope of his calling, the riches of the inheritance, and the exceeding greatness of his power toward those who believe. And he describes that power: it is the same working of God's strength that raised Christ from the dead and seated him far above all rule and authority, head over all things for the church, which is his body.

At the heart of Paul's prayer is that we would know the greatness of God's power toward us who believe, and he defines that power in a startling way: it is the very same power that raised Christ from the dead. The power at work in us, Paul says, is resurrection power, the strength that lifted Jesus out of the grave and seated him above every authority. This is not a distant power we merely hear about; it is at work toward us, in us, who believe. And Paul's prayer is that we would know this, that the eyes of our hearts would be opened to grasp what we so easily overlook. For here is the strange thing: many of us who believe live as though we had no such power, defeated, weak, resigned, as if the resurrection power Paul speaks of were not available to us at all. We struggle against sin and habit and fear as though in our own strength alone, forgetting that the power that raised Christ is at work in those who are his. Paul does not pray that God would give us more power, but that we would know the power we already have, would have the eyes of our hearts opened to see the resurrection strength at work toward us. So much of the Christian's weakness comes not from a lack of God's power but from ignorance of it, living far below what God has made available, unaware of the very strength that raised Christ. The prayer to pray, then, is Paul's: that God would enlighten the eyes of our hearts to grasp the greatness of his power toward us, so that we might stop living as the defeated when the power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us. We do not need more than God has given; we need to know, and to draw on, the resurrection power already at work toward those who believe.

Do I live as one defeated and weak, struggling in my own strength as though no power were available to me, or can I pray Paul's prayer, that God would open the eyes of my heart to grasp the greatness of his power toward me, the very power that raised Christ from the dead, at work in those who believe?

Sources