Part of the Life of God – Ephesians 1

A text – Ephesians 1:15-23

1:15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason
1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
1:17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
1:18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,
1:19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
1:20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
1:22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

A reflection:

This week’s text stopped me completely at verses 17 – 19:

(1:17) I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, (1:18) so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, (1:19) and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

The author of this letter is praying that these new believers, maybe Jews who have accepted Christ as Savior, may receive wisdom and revelation from the Lord in order to comprehend the hope and rich inheritance God gives us out of God’s great power and abundance.  The prayer for those gifts is a blessing we all might pray for. The writer does not want us to dismiss as usual or trivial the GREATNESS of Jesus’s coming to live among us, then dying and being raised back to life, and then being exalted to rule over all things. These actions of the Triune God are no mere small matter, even for God. These actions are monumental, and we believers participate in them!

We might all pray for wisdom and revelation from God. Just living in the awareness of the greatness of the life of God and the knowledge that we are called to be a part of that life, that dance of God, because God loves us – that awareness should bring us joy every single day. We are called to faith and communion with the God who became human in order to break the permanent hold of death – we are called to be workers with Jesus in the Kingdom of God. God is so big and powerful that we are not needed to fulfill God’s kingdom, but we are included in the action anyway, because God loves us. I will pray prayers of gratitude this week just thinking about being included.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for including us in the work for your kingdom. Thank you for giving us gifts to use and then inviting us to use them. Help us to remember that our lives are part of your big life, not lived in isolation. Help us to remember to be grateful.     Amen.