Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 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, 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 1:15-19
The apostle Paul was a man of prayer and lifted up the believers in Ephesus too when he heard of their faith in Jesus as Savior and their love for all the saints – their fellow believers. The apostle not only gave thanks for God’s gracious working in bringing them to faith in Christ Jesus; he prayed that God the Father would give to them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. He prayed that they would truly come to know God and His mercy toward them in Jesus.
He prayed that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened that they might 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 them who believe.
What is the hope of His calling? It is the everlasting joys of heaven with the Lord for the sake of His innocent sufferings and death for the sin of the world. It is a living hope because Christ died for our sins, rose again in victory and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. And He will come again that all who believe might be with Him in the mansions of His Father’s house (1 Pet. 1:3ff.; John 14:1ff.).
While we may not understand it now, our bodies will be glorified and without sin. We will reign forever with our Lord Jesus. The riches of His glory is beyond our human comprehension, and all this awaits us for Jesus’ sake.
He prays too that we might come to know and trust in the exceeding greatness of His power toward us. The same power is at work in us which was at work in Jesus when God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to the right hand of God the Father where He now rules over and fills all things as the head of His church. God worked mightily when He graciously raised us up from spiritual darkness and death to life through faith in Christ Jesus. And God continues His gracious working in us as He keeps and strengthens us in that faith unto life everlasting.
O gracious and merciful Father, grant us Your Spirit and open our eyes that we might see Your gracious and mighty working in us when You brought us to faith and continue to keep us in faith in Christ Jesus, our Savior. Amen.