The Anatomy of a Potent Prayer Text: Ephesians 1:15-23
Introduction: From Doctrine to Doxology
We have just spent some time in the high country of Paul's theology. In the first fourteen verses of this letter, he has taken us on a breathtaking tour of the eternal counsels of God. We have seen our election before the foundation of the world, our predestination to adoption, our redemption through His blood, and the sealing of our inheritance by the Holy Spirit. This is not abstract theological speculation. This is the bedrock of reality. And what is the proper response to such glorious truth? The world thinks doctrine is dry and dusty, something for academics in ivory towers. But for the apostle Paul, doctrine is dynamite. It is the fuel for the fire of worship and the foundation for all true prayer.
Notice how he begins this section: "For this reason..." For what reason? For the reason of everything he has just said. Because God has chosen, redeemed, and sealed you, for this reason, I cannot stop thanking God for you and praying for you. True Christian prayer is not a desperate attempt to get God's attention or to twist His arm into doing something for us. True prayer flows from a heart that has been overwhelmed by what God has already done. Doctrine leads to doxology, which in turn leads to intelligent intercession. Paul is not praying that the Ephesians would get something they do not have. He is praying that they would come to understand the vastness of the riches they already possess in Christ.
Our modern prayer meetings are often anemic because our theology is anemic. We pray for Aunt Mildred's bunions and for a good parking spot at the mall. And while God cares for the details of our lives, Paul shows us a far more potent and necessary kind of prayer. He prays for enlightenment. He prays for spiritual understanding. He prays that the eyes of their hearts would be opened to see the reality that is already true of them in Christ. This is not a prayer for more stuff, but for more sight.
The Text
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while 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 of revelation in the full knowledge of Him, so that you, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, will 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 surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength, which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And HE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(Ephesians 1:15-23 LSB)
The Occasion for Prayer (vv. 15-16)
Paul begins by grounding his prayer in the observable fruit of the gospel in the lives of the Ephesians.
"For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers:" (Ephesians 1:15-16)
The two marks of genuine conversion are right here, and they are inseparable. First, there is "faith in the Lord Jesus." This is the vertical reality. It is a personal trust and allegiance to the crucified and risen Lord. But this vertical faith always, without exception, produces a horizontal reality: "your love for all the saints." You cannot claim to love God whom you have not seen if you do not love your brother whom you have seen. Faith and love are the twin pillars of the Christian life. Faith is the root, and love is the fruit. When Paul hears that these two things are present in Ephesus, his heart overflows with thanksgiving.
His thanksgiving is not a one-time event; he does "not cease." This is the constant posture of a pastor who understands that the spiritual health of his flock is a direct gift of God's grace. He is not thanking them for being so good; he is thanking God for being so gracious to them. This constant gratitude fuels his constant prayer. He is always making mention of them. This is the heartbeat of true pastoral ministry.
The Petition for Enlightenment (vv. 17-18a)
Now we come to the actual content of the prayer. What does Paul ask for?
"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the full knowledge of Him, so that you, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, " (Ephesians 1:17-18a)
He prays to "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory." This is the God who has revealed Himself fully in the person of His Son, the very effulgence of His glory. Paul asks this God to give them "the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation." This is not a prayer for some new, extra-biblical information. The revelation has been given in Christ. Rather, this is a prayer that the Holy Spirit, whom they have already received, would function as a spirit of wisdom, enabling them to understand the revelation that is already theirs.
The goal of this is "the full knowledge of Him." The Greek word is epignosis, which means a deep, rich, experiential knowledge. This is not about knowing facts about God, but about knowing God Himself. All theology, if it is true theology, must terminate in doxology and a deeper relationship with the living God.
And how does this happen? "The eyes of your heart having been enlightened." The heart, in biblical language, is the control center of the human person, the seat of thought, will, and affection. We are born spiritually blind. We can read the words on the page, but we cannot see the glory to which they point. Paul is praying for the Holy Spirit to perform spiritual cataract surgery, to switch the lights on, so that they can perceive what is actually there.
The Threefold "What" (vv. 18b-19a)
Paul prays for them to be enlightened so that they will know three specific things. These are three "whats" that every believer needs to grasp.
"will 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 surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Ephesians 1:18b-19a)
First, he wants them to know "the hope of His calling." This is not a flimsy, fingers-crossed kind of wishing. This is a certain, objective, and glorious expectation. It is a hope that is anchored in God's effectual call. Because He has called you, your future is secure. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. To know this hope is to live with unshakeable confidence in the face of any trial or uncertainty.
Second, he wants them to know "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." We often think about the inheritance we will receive from God. But Paul flips the script. He is talking about the inheritance that God receives in us. We, the redeemed people of God, are His treasured possession, His inheritance. Think about that. The creator of the universe considers His people, in all our mess and struggles, to be the "riches of His glory." We are the prize that Christ died for. To understand this is to have a radical reorientation of our self-worth, grounding it not in our performance but in His possession of us.
Third, he wants them to know "the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." This is the power that enables us to live the Christian life. Paul piles up four different Greek words for power here, trying to convey the sheer immensity of it. This is not some small boost to our own efforts. It is a resurrection power, an omnipotent force that is actively directed "toward us who believe."
The Benchmark of Power (vv. 19b-21)
How great is this power? Paul does not leave us guessing. He gives us the ultimate demonstration and benchmark.
"according to the working of the might of His strength, which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." (Ephesians 1:19b-21)
The very same power that accomplished the two greatest events in human history is the power that is at work in you. First, it is the power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is power over the ultimate enemy, death itself. The power that reversed entropy, that brought life out of the grave, is the same power that raised you from spiritual death to new life in Christ.
Second, it is the power that seated Christ at God's right hand in the heavenly places. This is the position of supreme authority and sovereignty. And where is He seated? "Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion." Paul is making a comprehensive sweep of every conceivable power, both angelic and human, demonic and political. Christ is not just one of them; He is enthroned infinitely above them all. Whatever you can name, whatever power structure you can identify, Christ is Lord over it. This is not a future hope; it is a present reality. His reign is absolute, and it extends over this age and the age to come.
The King and His Kingdom (vv. 22-23)
Paul concludes by connecting Christ's cosmic lordship directly to the Church.
"And HE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:22-23)
Quoting Psalm 8, Paul declares the total victory of Christ. All things are put in subjection under His feet. The war is won. The outcome is not in doubt. History is now the process of this decreed reality being worked out on the ground.
And here is the astonishing climax. This cosmic King, who is head over all things, has been given by the Father to the church as her specific head. The ruler of the universe is our head. He exercises His universal dominion for the good of His people. We are not the subjects of a distant potentate; we are the body of an intimately connected head.
The church is His body, and as such, it is "the fullness of Him who fills all in all." This is a staggering statement. The church is the complement to the head. It is the vessel through which Christ, who is filling all creation with His presence and rule, manifests that rule. We are not a beleaguered minority hiding in a bunker, waiting for evacuation. We are the body of the victorious King, tasked with embodying His reign and extending His crown rights into every corner of creation. This prayer, then, is a prayer that we would wake up to who we are, what we have, and the power by which we are to live. It is a prayer that we would begin to live in the light of Christ's total victory.