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. (Ephesians 1:17, NIV)
Just before I left for Oklahoma, I met with the ladies in California who attended the Bible study we had this past season. We had studied about prayer and we wanted to pray for each other and support one another while we were apart. This verse from Ephesians was the one we chose to pray over one another in the months ahead.
We need to know that we cannot escape God’s thoughts about us and that our obedience brings pleasure to him.Physical distance can separate us from those we love, but there is no distance that prayer cannot cover. It is a reassuring thought that God is in control and is not limited by time and space. I trust that God will continue to guide each of us in our group in the days ahead.
It is interesting that the apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the Ephesians, was not anywhere near them. He prayed not knowing for sure if he would ever see them again. He prayed that each of the believers in Ephesus would come to know God better.
If we were to pray one thing over those we love, this would be the most important thing we could ask for. It is in knowing him better that the world makes sense to us. When we truly seek him first, all other things fall into place. We often petition God for his peace and protection for our loved ones, but do we pray that they would come to know him better?
What do we need to know about God? We need to know and understand the depth of his love for us. We need to know that he is greater and wiser than we are. We need to know that we cannot escape his thoughts about us and that our obedience brings pleasure to him. We need to know that nothing can separate us from his love for us. We need to know that we are part of his family and that we will never be alone again. We need to know that he has conquered sin and death and we will live eternally with him.
So pray this prayer for all those you love—a prayer that if prayed in faith will provide everything needed for those we love.
We can trust God to be true to himself. He is more than we could ever hope for and certainly more than we deserve. To know him better can only make us better and give us the hope we need to make it through the life we are called to live. Pray it for yourself, those you love, and all those who do not yet know him.
—
Linda Ballard
May 4, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.