Ephesians 1:15-18
The Hope to which He Has Called Us
Life is a day-to-day struggle. I don’t mean the lists of things to do which we all have (whether we write those lists out or not), getting along with people at work, or the numerous temptations which afflict each and every one of us. All of these are difficult enough. No. I’m talking about the day-to-day living of our lives which causes us to be so earthly-minded that we don’t even consider the matters that Paul talks about in this passage—matters which should be in the forefront of our minds as soon as we rise out of our beds.
And what are those matters? That we should pray for and pursue such a close relationship with our God that He would give us “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him,” that as born-again believers who have had the eyes of our hearts opened that we may know Him, that we should also “know what is the hope to which He has called [us], what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” And this is truly a wonderful blessing which we so rarely put to our benefit; that is, to pray for a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him and to know the hope to which we have been called.
As to prayer for a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, we remember that we know nothing apart from His word. So we pray that His word would be ever effective within our hearts and minds, that our understanding of it would take us beyond elementary matters to maturity (Hebrews 6:1), that through constant meditation thereon we may have His word seep into our being as our life and breath, our meat and drink. In this way, our minds are ever open to His view of things and of the way to walk before Him and the world.
As to knowing the hope to which we have been called, such knowledge should be a never-ending source of joy for us as we consider our inheritance and heavenly reward. Such a hope feeds the desire within us to be with Him in glory such that we pant for Him in the here and now (Psalm 42:1). Prayers such as, “Thy kingdom come” and “Come, Lord Jesus” are not for us wishful thoughts but intense longings for the day he comes to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Indeed, as we consider the hope of our calling and the riches of our inheritance, the things of this world “grow strangely dim,” and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. So meditate on these things, let them be in the forefront of your mind, and life will be easier, for your mind will be set on things above (Colossians 3:1-4).
