[Note: This is Part 3 of a 10-part series on Ephesians: Living Out Our Identity in Christ.]

What do you pray for? If someone listened to your prayers for a week, what would they conclude matters most to you? Health? Financial provision? Comfortable circumstances? These aren’t bad things to pray for, but they reveal what we think we need most.

In the previous post, we saw that believers in Christ have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. We are chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed. These are not future hopes but present realities. Yet there’s a gap between what is objectively true about us and what we subjectively experience. We can possess immense spiritual wealth without actually living in the reality of it.

That’s why Paul prays. He’s not asking God to give the Ephesians more blessings. He’s praying that they would truly understand and experience what they already have. This is one of the most important prayers in all of Scripture, and it shows us what we should be praying for ourselves and for others.

Paul’s Thanksgiving (1:15-16)

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Eph. 1:15-16)

Paul begins with thanksgiving. He has heard about two things concerning the Ephesian believers: their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints. These two things always go together. Genuine faith in Christ produces love for God’s people. If someone claims to have faith but shows no love for other believers, their faith is questionable (see 1 John 4:20).

Notice Paul’s response: he doesn’t cease to give thanks and to pray for them. “Do not cease” suggests continual, ongoing prayer. Paul made it a habit to regularly pray for the churches he had planted or ministered among. He didn’t just pray once and move on. He kept praying.

This is a model for us. When we hear of genuine faith and love in other believers, our response should be thanksgiving and ongoing prayer. We should be praying regularly for our brothers and sisters in Christ—not just when they face crises, but continually, asking God to deepen their understanding and strengthen their walk.

The Content of Paul’s Prayer (1:17-19)

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe. (Eph. 1:17-19a)

Paul addresses his prayer to “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.” This title emphasizes both the Father’s relationship to the Son and His essential character—He is glorious, radiant with splendor and majesty.

The Request: Wisdom and Revelation

Paul’s first request is that God would give them “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.” This doesn’t mean Paul is asking for the Holy Spirit to come upon them—they already have the Spirit (1:13). Rather, he’s asking that the Spirit would work in them to produce wisdom and revelation.

“Wisdom” is the ability to apply truth rightly to life. “Revelation” is the unveiling of truth, making visible what was previously hidden. Paul wants the Ephesians to have both: to see truth clearly and to know how to live it out.

And notice the focus: “in the knowledge of him.” Paul isn’t asking for knowledge about God, but experiential knowledge of God Himself. The Greek word is epignōsis, which implies deep, intimate, personal knowledge. Paul wants them to know God more deeply, not just to know more facts about God.

The Purpose: That You May Know

Paul then explains why he’s asking for this wisdom and revelation—so that the Ephesians may know three specific things. Notice the structure: “that you may know.” Knowledge is the goal. But this is not intellectual knowledge divorced from experience. It’s the kind of knowledge that transforms how we live.

1. The Hope of Your Calling

“That you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.” What is this hope? It’s not wishful thinking or uncertain optimism. Biblical hope is confident expectation based on God’s promises. The hope of our calling is the assured future that awaits everyone who is in Christ—resurrection, glorification, eternal life in God’s presence.

Paul wants believers to be so certain of this future that it shapes how they live in the present. When you know where you’re headed, you can endure present hardship with joy. When you know that the best is yet to come, you’re not devastated when earthly things disappoint. This hope is an anchor for the soul (Heb. 6:19).

2. The Riches of His Glorious Inheritance in the Saints

“What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” This phrase can be understood two ways. It could mean the inheritance that God has given to the saints—what we receive from Him. Or it could mean the inheritance that God receives in the saints—that we are His treasured possession.

Both interpretations are biblically sound, but the second fits better with the flow of Paul’s thought. God has chosen us, adopted us, and redeemed us because He delights in us. We are His inheritance, His prized possession. Paul wants believers to grasp how valuable they are to God. You are not an afterthought. You are not barely tolerated. You are treasured.

3. The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power

“What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” This is the third thing Paul wants believers to know: the incredible power that is available to them. Not power they might tap into someday, but power that is actively at work “toward us who believe” right now.

How great is this power? Paul is about to tell us.

The Measure of God’s Power (1:19b-23)

according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things 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. (Eph. 1:19b-23)

How can we measure the power available to believers? Paul points to the greatest display of power in history: the resurrection and exaltation of Christ.

The Power That Raised Christ

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power at work in believers. Think about what that means. Death is the ultimate enemy, the final word of the curse. No human power can reverse it. But God’s power conquered death. He didn’t just resuscitate Jesus—He raised Him to new, glorified, indestructible life.

This is resurrection power. It’s not just enough to improve your circumstances or help you try harder. It’s power to bring life where there was death, to create something new where there was only decay.

The Power That Exalted Christ

But God didn’t just raise Jesus from the dead. He “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” The right hand is the place of honor and authority. To be seated there means the work is finished and the authority is complete.

Christ is exalted “far above” every other power—earthly or spiritual, human or demonic, present or future. Every ruler, every authority, every power structure that exists or ever will exist is under Christ’s feet. He is supreme. He is Lord over all.

The Church as Christ’s Body

And here’s the stunning connection: “he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body.” Christ is the head, and the church is His body. We are united to Him. Where He is, we are. His authority is exercised through His body.

Paul calls the church “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” This is a remarkable statement. The church is Christ’s fullness—the means by which His presence and power fill the world. We are not just beneficiaries of Christ’s power. We are the expression of it.

This is the power available to believers. Resurrection power. Exaltation power. The same power that conquered death and seated Christ at the right hand of the Father is at work in us.

Application Points

Pray for what matters most

Paul’s prayer shows us what to prioritize in our prayers. Yes, pray for physical needs and difficult circumstances. But don’t stop there. Pray for spiritual wisdom and revelation. Pray that you and others would know God more deeply. Pray for understanding of your hope, your value to God, and the power available to you. These are the prayers that lead to transformation.

Knowledge is the goal, but not mere information

Paul prays that believers would “know”—not just believe or understand intellectually, but truly grasp in their hearts the reality of their hope, their inheritance, and God’s power. Head knowledge that doesn’t reach the heart won’t change your life. Ask God to move truth from your mind to your heart, from doctrine to experience. Don’t be satisfied with knowing about God. Pursue knowing God Himself.

Your future shapes your present

When you truly grasp the hope of your calling—the certain future that awaits you—it changes how you live now. You can endure hardship because you know this isn’t your final destination. You can let go of earthly treasures because you know what’s waiting for you. You can serve sacrificially because you know the reward is guaranteed. Let your future hope fuel your present faithfulness.

You are more valuable to God than you realize

God doesn’t just tolerate you or barely accept you. You are His inheritance, His treasured possession. He delights in you. He chose you before the foundation of the world because He wanted you. Let this truth sink in. When you feel worthless or insignificant, remember: you are the riches of God’s glorious inheritance.

Resurrection power is available to you now

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand is at work in you. This is not theoretical. This is not for super-Christians. This is for everyone who believes. When you feel weak, when you face impossible situations, when you struggle with sin—remember the power that is available to you. You’re not trying to change in your own strength. Resurrection power is at work in you.

Reflection

• What do your prayers reveal about what you think you need most? Are you asking God primarily for comfortable circumstances, or are you praying for spiritual wisdom and deeper knowledge of Him?
• Do you truly believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you right now? How would your life look different if you lived in the reality of that power?

In the next post, we’ll see Paul describe the radical transformation that has happened to everyone who is in Christ. We’ll move from spiritual blessings to spiritual resurrection—from death to life, from darkness to light, from slavery to sonship. The power Paul prayed about in chapter 1 is the same power that accomplished the miracle of chapter 2.