Week 2 | Tuesday
Tuesday – To Know Him
Written by Russ Elam (Jefferson Campus)
Ephesians 1:17
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
I know that I am to pray for others, but how exactly am I to pray for them? Do I need to know their personality type, their faith background, or even their ideology in order to pray for them? Is it possible that there are universal themes to guide my prayers?
The second element of Paul’s prayer is something that you and I can apply in our prayers for others. His prayer was that his friends might know God better. Per Paul, getting to know God better is the result of the Spirit (i.e., Holy Spirit), which brings wisdom and revelation for understanding God’s word.
These spiritual resources are necessary since human intellect alone is incapable of producing full knowledge of God. This is why Paul prays that Christians would know God better through His revealed word and the work of the Holy Spirit. This should be encouraging to us. That no matter how long you have known Jesus, you can know Him better. No matter how trusting knowing God has been, you can know Him better!
It is also important to recognize that Paul is praying for other people. He is modeling for you and me that people who are learning to know God better want others to know God better. The more you love Jesus the more you love the idea of helping other people know Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
- How much of a struggle is it for me to thank God for a good mind and yet acknowledge a total dependence on him to understand more about him?
- What have been my sources for learning God better? How am I assessing their trustworthiness?
- How is the Spirit’s wisdom transforming me?
Prayer Prompt:
“Father, may my heart and mind be aligned with your Spirit.”