God’s Eternal Plan
[I am] asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. Ephesians 1:17-19
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This is one of the greatest prayers Paul prayed for the early church, and it’s an important prayer for us to pray today: that we would know God intimately, that our hearts would be flooded with light so that we can understand the bright future God promises, and that we would see how great his power is for us believers. Just as Paul knew this revelation wouldn’t happen apart from God’s Holy Spirit, we can’t perceive these things with just our own intellect because they are spiritual truths, not intellectual truths. These verses encourage us to ask the Lord to give us good spiritual eyesight and insight about the character of God, the hope he has given us for both this life and the life to come, and the incredible dynamic power available to us through his Spirit. This is a prayer to pray often, not only for yourself but for all those you love and want to see walk with the Lord. As we pray God’s Word, we pave the way for his will and purpose to be fulfilled in our lives.
Prayers:
FATHER, I am awed to think that from eternity past you have planned and provided a way to share your riches, your grace, your power, and your very nature with me through the sacrifice of Jesus on my behalf. Do, Lord, open my eyes, and flood my heart with vision to behold this incredible truth.
Quotes:
IF WE WISH TO PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE AND GLADNESS, THEN THE WORDS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE WILL HAVE TO BE THE SOLID BASE OF OUR PRAYER. FOR HERE WE KNOW THAT JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD, TEACHES US TO PRAY. THE WORDS WHICH COME FROM GOD BECOME, THEN, THE STEPS ON WHICH WE FIND OUR WAY TO GOD.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are: Isaiah 39:1–41:16; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 66:1-20 and Proverbs 23:25-28.
