Praying for Spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:15-19)
Having composed a new statement of praise or used an already existing statement, Paul then informs his readers of how he prays for them. It is difficult to avoid thinking that Paul is indicating the normal order of two important spiritual disciplines, which is that prayer should follow praise. That is the order found in the Lord’s Prayer. When we draw near to God, we should worship him thoughtfully before focusing on petitions that we want him to answer.
This is confirmed by the way Paul says ‘for this reason’. He knew he could pray because God had acted abundantly in providing a gracious salvation. The reason is found in the preceding section where Paul says that God has blessed all believers with every spiritual blessing. Because he knows that God graciously did this for the Ephesians, Paul can pray his specific petitions.
Paul also tells us what the point of his prayer is, which is that believers would know God better. This outlook should be our personal spiritual ambition. The most advanced believer cannot say that he now knows God sufficiently. There will always be room for more. Yet it is not mere intellectual knowledge that Paul has in mind. This may be a danger that faces Calvinists more than others. We can describe his attributes, but can we say what it is like to know him.
As we read Paul’s description of his prayers, we should bear two things in mind. The first is that Paul believes every Christian can pray in the way that he did (the possibility of prayer) and the second is that every Christian should pray in the way that he did (the responsibility of prayer). Moreover, we can see that his prayer is straightforward as far as content is concerned and also specific as far as the petitions are concerned.
Encouragement for prayer
The encouragement for this prayer was the spiritual state of the Ephesians. Paul mentions two details and both of them are connected to spiritual concerns. They are their relationship to Jesus and their relationship to one another. The implication is that petitions should be connected to how the recipients are, and this of course requires information. Paul does not say how he received the information. He was imprisoned in Rome when he wrote the letter, but his circumstances were not a barrier to him being able to pray intelligently for his readers.
It seems obvious from the description of the Ephesians that dependence on Jesus will result in expressions of brotherly love. As the apostle John later wrote to the Ephesians, brotherly love is evidence of conversion. The difference between a head knowledge of Jesus and a heart knowledge of him will be revealed in how we respond to his people. We should not be surprised by that detail because it is what Jesus says will be revealed on the Day of Judgement.
Experience of prayer
Paul mentions two features of his prayer – gratitude to God and remembrance of the Ephesians. His gratitude here is not about his own experience of salvation, although he would have always been grateful for what God did for him personally. Instead the aspect of gratitude that he states is for his readers. Moreover, he stresses that his expressions of gratitude for them are consistent – he continues to be thankful for them.
Basically Paul shows his love for believers by praying for them. The way he prays for them is by remembering who they are. When we remember someone we think about them. There is a conscious awareness of each of them. I doubt if Paul means that all he said was a brief phrase such as, ‘Lord, bless the church in Ephesus.’ The experience of prayer involves feelings for and knowing something about the people for whom we pray. Inevitably, remembering people requires time. It would be fair to deduce from this that failure to recall who people are when we pray points to a lack of real love for them. The challenge for us is whether we can say with Paul about those we should pray for, ‘I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.’
What is the content of real prayer like? I don’t mean its intensity but its process. How is Christian prayer different from prayer offered by Jews and Moslems? The answer is that Christian prayer should reveal that we are praying to the triune God. We can see that is the case with Paul’s prayer here.
The first detail that we can mention is that Paul prays to the Father and mentions two things about him. Both descriptions are connected to worship. When the apostle says that Jesus regards the Father as God, he is reminding the Ephesians of how the exalted Saviour relates to the Father. As the mediator Jesus leads the praise of heaven and he will perform this role for ever. In his mediatorial roles, he functions as prophet, priest and king. It is only through him that prayer works.
The other description that Paul says about the Father is that he is the Father of glory or the glorious Father. This could mean that he is the source of glory or that everything about him is glorious. Both aspects are true always.
When he writes about Jesus, Paul stresses his lordship. While he could have in mind the deity of Jesus, it is more likely that he is referring to the position of the exalted Saviour. The apostle was conscious that he prayed in the name of the sovereign Saviour. His words show that as he prayed he reminded himself where Jesus is and the authority he possesses.
Paul prayed that the Holy Spirit would provide the believers with an accurate and a transforming knowledge of the Father. The Spirit’s wisdom reveals that he knows how to teach as well as what to teach. The outcome of his work is that our spiritual vision becomes keener.
Errands of prayer
Paul mentions three blessings that his readers should have. The first is an awareness of the wonderful destiny of believers. They have been called by the Father through the gospel invitation. It is true that they responded, yet they responded because the Father ensured his call was effective whenever they believed. The awareness that they possess is a strong one, here said to be hope. Hope means that we know in the present that certain things will happen in the future. No doubt, this includes assurance of salvation.
Assurance is an interesting topic. Obviously, it includes our minds, what we know about the promises of God. Moreover, it includes personal evidences, such as changes in one’s behaviour. Yet sometimes, perhaps often, we need something more. The ‘something more’ will not conflict with those other two features, but instead will strengthen our convictions connected to them.
The second petition that Paul mentions is a very astonishing one because he does not speak about our inheritance in God but his inheritance in his people. The apostle is saying that God has placed some of his riches in believers. Normally, one would put riches in a very secure place, and no doubt the fact that God places his riches in us indicates that from his perspective we are secure. Of course, the reason why we are secure is because he makes us secure. Nevertheless, the fact that he has placed his riches in us is a reminder to us that we are secure.
What are the riches? I suspect the adjective ‘glorious’ points to it. Where does the Father find the best results for his investments? His investments include his plan, his sending his Son to be the Saviour, and his sending the Spirit to bring blessings to his people. Each of those investments are 100% certain, but the location of them is the point that the apostle is making. God’s glory will be revealed continually in his redeemed people for ever. The investment will never have a gloomy day in the heavenly stock exchange. God always sees that what he did and is doing produces the desired outcome. Even when the believers fail, the value remains solid because divine grace ensures that glory is displayed through forgiveness and restoration.
The third petition that Paul gives concerns the power of God. He mentions that it is immeasurable and illustrates it by the experience of Jesus at his resurrection and ascension. In a certain sense, all believers will experience something similar in the fortune because they too will be resurrected and glorified. Yet the apostle is not only praying about future experiences. He wants them to know that divine power is at work in their lives. In saying this, he is speaking about the work of the Spirit.
We need to ask why there is a need for such power. There are at least three answers and we can see them in this letter. First, there is conflict with the powers of darkness described in chapter 6. Second, there is experience of the love of Christ described in chapter 3. Third, there is the depth of our own sinfulness, described in chapter 2. No doubt, there are more. But we need the power of the Spirit in each of those areas.
Application
We can see from Paul’s words that he did not only tell the Ephesians that he was praying for them, but he also told them what he was praying for them. In addition, we can see that his petitions were concerned with spiritual realities and not earthly circumstances. This does not mean that he would not have mentioned such circumstances; instead, they were not his priority. He was more concerned with their spiritual state.
How does a person know if they are an enlightened Christian? It would seem from Paul’s prayer that such a person would have assurance of glory, enjoyment of God’s riches, and experience of God’s power. Even if we all have them, we will continue to need them more and more, and will do so all our lives.