When it comes to the goodness of God, it really is never ending. But what we need to be sure of is that we’re not only having these revelations for ourselves, but that we are praying for continued revelations for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to pray for continued encouragement and strength for your friends, family, churches. Of course we need to pray for those who don’t believe, but this is specifically for those who do. We need to keep them in our prayers and make sure that they are covered. This is the fourth part in the Ephesians series and man oh man is God so good.

Today we’re diving into Ephesians 1:15-23

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 

16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 

20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 

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 one to come. 

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Verse 15: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 

When you have faith in the Lord, other people will know. Word travels fast, especially when it comes to the goodness of God. Don’t be shy about it – let others see you shine and share your light. I did a podcast episode on this exact topic and if you’re struggling with being bold about your faith, click here to listen to it. 

Verse 16: I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 

As Paul was writing this, he was praying for the Ephesians, showing gratitude for their faith. Having someone you care about have faith in God is incredible. But something that Paul did that I think we’re not as great at is praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as we need to lean on and pray to God in times of trouble, we need to pray for consistent covering for them. We need to thank God for our community and for saving those we care about. We also need to show gratitude to God for providing an example of strong faith.

A huge part of the reason why I finally turned back to the Lord and started living in obedience is because my best friend was doing the same thing. We were both needing to grow in our faith and we supported each other in doing so. Just hearing about her faith in God was a beautiful reminder to grow my faith, too.

We need to show gratitude for those that God puts in our lives.

Verse 17: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 

Paul was specific in what he was praying for. He prayed for wisdom and revelation – but not just any wisdom, the Spirit of wisdom. This is the blessing that we have as believers, that God gives us divine knowledge about the Word and how to apply it. Not only do we need to show gratitude for those of faith in our lives, but we nee to pray specifically for wisdom and revelation. In the next verse, we get even more insight.

Verse 18: having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 

We need to pray for our friends, churches, ministries, groups, that they receive enlightenment, wisdom and revelation. And we are to also pray that they know just who they are in Christ. We pray for them to know that we are God’s inheritance, that He is excited for us to come home to be with Him forever. We also need to understand it.

God not only chose us before He created the world, but He loves us so much that He sees us as His inheritance. The God who created EVERYTHING cares about US that much?! What do you mean?! How incredible is that?! 

Verse 19: and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 

God gave us incredible power. When Christ died for us, we were given the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to live inside us and to act with it. We were saved from death, hell and the grave. That’s why we need to remember who we are when the enemy comes at us sideways trying to make us feel like we aren’t enough.

We also need to pray for our communities and friends. We need to pray that THEY know these things because when you know this, you act different. When you know the power that was given to you in Jesus Christ you don’t care what the enemy has to say because you know that your life is built on solid ground.

We need to pray that God keeps this revelation top of mind for them AND ourselves.

Verse 20: that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 

Everything that we’ve been given in Christ happened when He died and rose again. I hope I never get over the wonder and amazement that comes with knowing that He did that for me. For you.

Verse 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 one to come. 

“According to ancient tradition, the “right hand” was symbolic of power, authority, closeness, and acceptance. Jesus is pictured at the right hand of God in verse 20, as well as several other locations in the New Testament (Romans 8:34; 1 Peter 3:22). Jesus’ status in heaven places Him “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” Paul uses these words together of Jesus only here in Scripture. In Colossians 2:10 he noted Jesus as the one “who is the head of all rule and authority.” This string of words is clearly used to offer all possible attributes of power to Jesus.” BibleRef.com 

That’s the the Jesus I serve? That’s the Jesus I get to have a relationship with?! How on earth are we supposed to NOT lose our mind at how amazing that is?!

Verse 22: And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 

My ESV Study Bible puts it like this, “Paul quotes Psalm 8:6 as being fulfilled by Christ’s exaltation over all creation and as head over the church. Like a present-day ‘head of government,’ this term points to Christ’s preeminence as Lord.”

Jesus IS Lord. We are to act like it. Jesus, the Lord of all, gave Himself for us. He operates in His power in and through us. If that isn’t enough to make Jesus the Lord of your life I don’t know what will.

Verse 23: which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

ESV Study Bible, “Christ has so identified himself with his church that it is said to be his very body, much as Adam described Eve as ‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’”

As Christians, we are members of His church. As members of His church, we are His body. We are all connected by the beauty that is Jesus Himself. We are to move in unison, the way that He has called us to.

Dude, God is so good. The things that He has done for us are incomprehensible. Knowing this to be true, we should WANT to pray for our communities and churches. We should want to show gratitude for them and continue to cover them in prayer.

Don’t ever let the enemy tell you that prayer doesn’t work or that it’s pointless. Paul literally prayed in gratitude for his comrades. He prayed that they would know the hope they have in Jesus and the power that was given to them.

Paul Prayed

If someone as great as Paul knew prayer mattered, we should, too.

This also goes for those you may not be as enthusiastic about. My pastor said something one day that has stuck with me. If there is someone or something you don’t like, pray for them. Don’t like a pastor? Pray for them. If you don’t like a church, pray for them. If you don’t like a neighbor, pray for them. When you’re actively praying for someone, it keeps bitterness from setting in and creating a foothold for the enemy. But if you truly have faith in Christ, then you believe that He can change them to act right. You can have faith that God will handle it.

This is hard because oh MAN do I not want to pray for people. But then I remember how God showed up for me over and over again when I didn’t deserve it. It’s incredible to really think about. At that point, I can’t continue to be bitter and angry, I have to do what the Lord says and He says pray.

If this look into Paul’s prayer stirred something in you, don’t stop here, go deeper.

My Ephesians Bible Study walks through the entire book with structure, reflection questions, and real-life application so you can fully grasp what Paul was praying and why it still matters for us today.

Grab your study here and dig in.