June 4th-Intimate Awareness
Journey through Ephesians
Ephesians 1.15-17 “that you may know him better”
Focus Verse-Ephesians 1.17
“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”
Insight-In this section, Paul recognizes and thanks God for the evidence of His work in the lives of the Christians in Ephesus. They are living a life of love for God that is being exhibited in a love for others, but Paul still wants more for them. Paul says, “This is what I am asking God to do for you.”
He says that he is asking God’s presence in their lives, through the Spirit, would bring them to places where they will discover that they are growing in their intimate awareness of God. He is not necessarily saying that he wants them to know more about God, he wants them to grow in their intimate relationship with God. The first thing Paul asks is that God’s Spirit would give them wisdom. The word for wisdom is sophia which carries the thought of giving insight into the true nature of things and revelation is the idea of the unveiling of the object discussed, in this case, God himself. So Paul is asking God to allow them to discover His true nature as He unveils Himself to them.
Maybe this is actually the grace that we need. If we were created to know God intimately, to be connected with Him as Jesus describes in John 15, maybe the answer to all of our prayers is more of God, a greater intimate awareness of His presence with us, around us and in us. And since we certainly don’t deserve it-that’s grace of epic proportions.
Response and Action-Today I will seek to pay more attention to God and His movement. I will strive to continually ask God, “What are You doing in this situation and how can I participate with You?” I will rejoice in the realization that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe wants me to know Him intimately.
Loving God, take the blinders off of my eyes today so that I may see you more clearly and in doing so, begin to understand the way that things in this world-Your world-really are. You are always drawing me to Your heart, help me to run to Your embrace and live in it today. Amen.
I wish I had something profound to write, but I don’t. I confess that I have not been giving thanks for or praying for my brothers and sisters as described in verses 16-17. Today I commit to giving thanks for you and praying for you regularly.
It’s so easy for me to get caught up in so many different things. I get caught up in trying to “do” things for God, or trying to please Him, or trying to fix things on my own, the list can go on for much longer. Paul has just spent 14 verses reminding us that we are chosen, we are adopted into God’s family. We are redeemed, having been forgiven and given abundant grace.
I guess in this section I’m reminded like Mag to keep praying for people and giving thanks for them. But I am also caught on verse 17 when it says, “so that you may know him better. My bible has a note that says to know is to intimately participate. Paul is praying for wisdom and revelation so we may know him better. He’s not praying for that so that I can get everything right all the time, or that in certain situations I’ll know exactly what to do. He’s asking for wisdom so that I can know God better. So I’ll be able to live out my understanding of Him. It’s still amazing to me how so often it comes back to trusting God and abiding in Him. More of Him is the answer to my questions.
Today as begin a summer of traveling, I will choose to abide in Him and let Him love me. Thanks for another reminder to do so.