Praying for an Understanding Spirit
When you’re not sure how to pray for other Christians, you should follow the example of Paul by thanking God for them (Eph 1:15-16). You can also follow his example by asking God to give them a spirit of understanding (Eph 1:17). That is what he did when he “mentioned” them to God in prayer (Eph 1:16).
By mentioning them in prayer, he first asked God to give them a certain kind of spirit. Some translations suggest that Paul here is referring to the Holy Spirit, though it is a vague reference as such. It seems best to view this as a reference to the inner human spirit of the believers for whom he prayed. In this way, we can understand it as a reference to the personal disposition of these believers towards God.
Second, this inner disposition for which he prayed consisted of two primary aspects: wisdom and revelation. Wisdom refers to understanding things so that you can act in a more accurate and skillful manner. In this way, it entails more than accumulating knowledge by encompassing improved behavior as well. Revelation refers to disclosing, uncovering, or revealing something formerly hidden, covered, or unknown. Paul specifies the knowledge or disclosure to which he refers in the next phrase, “the knowledge of him.”
Now Paul was not praying for the believers at Ephesus to receive new revelation directly from God. Instead, he was praying that they would have the inner capacity to understand new revelation about God and from God, with a special focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ. He makes this clear in the following verses by referring to a series of profound factors related to the person and work of Jesus Christ and to our new relationship with him. In one sense, these factors were definitely “new revelation” to the church since the apostles only recently received these revelations, and the Ephesians themselves just received them in the epistle. But imparting this knowledge to the believers as information alone would not guarantee their full understanding. That is why Paul prayed for them to have an inner spirit and disposition both to experience this new revelation of God in a personal way and to put it into practice.
The series of factors which Paul describes in the following verses are nothing short of astounding (Eph 1:18-23). They are extravagant, magnificent, grandiose, and bold; but most importantly, they are real. Yet for these factors to influence and transform your life, you need God’s help to understand and apply them for yourself, for all their worth. You need to know them for sure, but to what degree to these factors – this revelation of God and from God – genuinely influence and change the way that you approach God and the way that you conduct your life? To this end, Paul prayed for other believers. He prayed that they would understand the spiritual realities revealed to us in the New Testament about God, about Christ, and about our profound relationship with him. As you pray for other Christians, you can pray the same as Paul. Ask God to give them an inner disposition that experiences and applies the truth about God and Christ in a truly understanding way.
Thomas Overmiller serves as pastor for Faith Baptist Church in Corona, NY and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission.