“I keep asking that…the glorious Father may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.” Ephesians 1:17
Do you ever run out of things to pray about for those you care about, or do you feel your petitions are often repetitive and redundant—requests for the same things, the same way, over and over again? Perhaps our problem isn’t how we pray but what we pray. Honest scrutiny reveals that our intercessions major on health and happiness, and though God never tires of a sincere “Help ‘em & Heal ‘em,” He is thrilled when we pray for others about their holiness. Why? Because holiness is God’s goal for His children. He made us His, and now He is making us like Him.
Pause and consider. If health is God’s goal for His own, something is sorely amiss for cancer wards, doctors’ offices, and funeral homes are filled with those who call on His name. If happiness is His goal, He is failing miserably for many Christians suffer and struggle. Broken hearts and shattered dreams reek with disappointment and loss, and tears are more abundant than cheer. But if God’s goal is holiness—our transformation into His character—then poor health and hard times can both be trusted to His process and His plan.
Knowing God well helps us handle both the good and bad, so when Paul lists his prayer requests for his friends close to the start of Ephesians, he begins with the most important. More than health, wealth, or happiness, Paul prays that they will know God more. His petition is a continued plea for intimacy and understanding. “I keep asking that…the glorious Father may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” The more we know God, the more we love Him. The more we know God, the more we trust Him. The more know God, the more we praise Him. Knowing God better makes us better and helps us understand life better.
But Paul’s prayer doesn’t end there. He follows up the desire for his friends to know more of who God is with the request that they know more of what God has done. “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called and the rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his holy people. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him”(Ephesians 1:18-19, NLT). Paul prays that we will grasp the reality of the “sure thing” we have in Jesus. He wants us to realize the richness of being a child of God. And he longs for us to know by experience God’s “incomparably great power” and to start living life in His strength.
Surely Paul wanted his friends to be healthy and happy (we all do), but mostly he wanted them to be holy. Never hesitate to request all three for those you love, but above all else, pray that they will know God better. That’s the best prayer you can pray.
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