Ephesians 1:17, 18a: A Prayer for an Enlightened Heart

Ephesians 1:17, 18a: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened."

Here we get to the content of Paul's prayer for the Ephesian believers. In essence he is praying that they would come to really know and understand and appreciate all that they now possess in Christ. He has listed the spiritual blessings that are theirs, but now we see that he prays unceasingly that what is real in them may become an experiential reality to them. He prays that their understanding would be deepened more and more to appreciate what God has granted to them in Christ.

If you have small children you know how exciting Christmas morning can be. All of the packages under the tree holding the promise of great joy. I remember when our kids were young and we would try to get each of them one special gift to open on Christmas. But all too often, especially when they were very young, they would open that gift and be much less excited than we hoped. My wife would rush over and start explaining why the child should be whooping and hollering and jumping up and down. After all, we had given them this amazing toy! In essence, we were trying to enlighten the heart and mind of our child to the magnificence of the gift they had been given.

I imagine that is what Paul is doing here in this verse. He recognizes, both from his own experience and that of other Christ-followers, that the grandeur and monumental worth of the treasure we have in Christ is so often overlooked, or minimized due to our shallowness, our lack of spiritual perception.

Let's unpack Paul's prayer in these verses. First, not that his petition is aimed at "God ... the Father of glory."Paul is ever mindful that God alone is glorious. He makes sure that, from the beginning, it is clear that if and when God does answer this prayer in the affirmative, the purpose will be to recognize and magnify the glory of God.

Second, recognize that as believers we still need to have our hearts "enlightened." That is, as justified sinners privileged to be in the family of God, we have only just begun to perceive and understand and appreciate all that God is, and has done for us in Christ. We are just nibbling around the edges of His magnificence, just beginning to feast on His truth, just starting to drink from the fountain of His grace. What is available to us in Christ is so much more than deliverance from the power and penalty of sin, although that is so wonderful. But beyond escape from sin's bondage, Christ offers real life in fellowship with our Maker, endowed once again with the ability to love righteousness, to pursue goodness and greatness as those being restored in the image of God.

It is here that Paul directs his prayer for the Ephesians. He prays that God, the Father of glory would continue to do the work of enlightenment in the hearts of the readers. We will get a fuller explanation of what this entails in the following verses, but for now, let this wash over you. Do you long for a great experience of the truth of your salvation? Do you desire a greater recognition of God's grace in your life, a deeper delight in the blessings He has bestowed on you? Or are you content just to be on the bus to heaven? Like a child that plays with the box instead of the amazing toy, we all are prone to complacency. We are satisfied with pennies while the dollar bills are just around the corner.

Third, see just how Paul prays. He asks that God would "give to (them) a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him."  Paul recognizes that spiritual discernment and the maturity that follows is not merely a human accomplishment. While it is ours to pursue righteousness and truth with diligence, we must understand that success is dependent upon God granting us His favor. We run even as we rest in the knowledge that He is doing the work in us, and giving us the will to work harder for His glory. When was the last time you prayed for yourself or for others that God would grant them a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God Himself? How about today?

But what does it mean when Paul says "a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him?" Let's start backwards. Understand from the start that the purpose here is a great knowledge of God. It is not a request for some ecstatic experience or emotional sense of well-being. It is not a request for God to do something for us. It is a request for God to do something for us so that we can have a greater understanding of the truth He has revealed about Himself. Don't miss this. Paul isn't praying that the Ephesians will have some special "spirit" that will elevate them above other believers. He isn't praying that they will gain something not available to all. Rather, he is asking God to broaden their knowledge of God, and deepen their appreciation of His blessings, through the work of the indwelling Spirit. And I believe that wherever this prayer is offered in sincerity, God is pleased to affirm it since it is always His will for His children to grow in the knowledge of the truth.

Wisdom is understood in the Old Testament sense as the skill of righteous living. Paul is praying not only for their increase in knowledge, but also that the knowledge of God will work its way out in righteous living. Revelation is the divine work of making known what cannot be known apart from God. This shows that the knowledge Paul hopes they will gain is not mere factual knowledge, but the whole sense of meaning that God intends us to find in the facts.

All of this comes together in Paul's short prayer, and is summed up in his hope that the
eyes of their hearts will be enlightened. That is, that their dullness of spiritual vision will be removed, and the true light of the knowledge and truth of God will fill their hearts and minds, producing lives that follow Christ with great joy. Now that's a prayer worth repeating!

Hope this helps,

David