Part 2 of a devotional series through the book of Ephesians
Read the full transcript below:
“Therefore I also… do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him…” – Ephesians 1:15a, 16-17
When we were little children, we were taught to pray with our eyes closed. Probably good advice, since children are so easily distracted by things around them- like the incredibly loud breathing of a sibling, for instance. But how many of us bring that mentality into our adult spiritual life? Are we praying with our spiritual eyes closed? More than that, are we trying to understand God’s Word with blinders on?
I often catch myself skimming the Scriptures, hoping to find a little nugget that can stimulate a thought for the day. A little Chicken Soup for the Soul™ if you will. I often come to God’s Word with a “what have you got for me today” mentality. As if I should be rewarded for simply making the time to read the Bible or pray. “Okay, Bible, you’ve got 15 minutes, show me some magic.” Don’t judge. I know there are other people out there who can relate.
Christians regularly forget the true power to which they have access. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us and can awaken our spirit to understand the deep things of God. The trouble is, often, that we have our eyes set on other things. There are trivialities stealing our gaze from the Lord. We wonder why the reading of His word seems stale and empty, when we our constantly interrupting our focus, thinking about some to-do list or some self-seeking agenda. Oh how hard it is to put all of ourselves aside and allow our eyes to be opened to God and closed to everything else! It seems nearly impossible in this day and age to shut out the noise and block out all the images grasping for our attention, but it isn’t. Not with the mighty power of God.
We need to be disciplined when we pray and when we read the Scriptures, if we expect God to reveal His truth to us. There is nothing wrong with writing a list of prayer requests to gather our thoughts. I find that writing out my prayers holds my focus and helps me to stay on point. It may also be helpful to keep a journal to write down different things we pick up from reading the scriptures. I often look back to notes that I’ve taken in the past and find real insight that God provided that may not have made total sense at the time. God desires for our eyes to be set on Him, and if we approach Him deliberately with that intention, then He will reward us. So many people want to know God’s will and His calling on their life, but they don’t turn their eyes from distracting things and onto the Lord. They often forget to silence their phones in church. I guess there are other calls that are just as important as the one the Lord has placed on our life. These same people find it hard to follow Jesus’ teachings, but they have no problem “following” their favorite celebrities online.
The truth of God is staring us right in the face. Are we just looking past it? We have access to the Living Word of a Loving Savior in our hands. Are we turning a blind eye to it? As Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus, let us pray the same: that our eyes would be opened to understand God’s calling on our lives, our undeserved inheritance, and His amazing power.
“… the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…” – Ephesians 1:18-19a