Knowing Him More

Ephesians 1:17 “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.”

If you, like me, have walked with God for some time you can begin to wonder, “how well do I really know or even love God?”  This is a normal and natural journey that many Christians find themselves.  Our lives tend to ebb and flow from seasons of passionate pursuit of God to lukewarm, or even rebellious, existence. One of the ways in which we find to combated this tendency is found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church.

Paul prays for the people of God in Ephesus that they would have a spirit (or The Spirit) of…

1. Wisdom: The word wisdom here means much more then the wisdom of this world (a broad and full understanding), it involves a wisdom that is above all spiritual in essence. It is a full and deep understanding of spiritual things. This wisdom is the type discribed by Paul later in Eph 5:15-16 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” The ability to walk in wisdom and make the very best of every situation you find yourself in.
2. Revelation: The word used here takes the the word wisdom a step further.  This word involves and describes “the progressive and immediate unveiling of the otherwise and unknowable God to His Church.”  How cool is that?  This is a special, God given, ability to make God known to others (specially His Church).  We seen and experience this when we listen to a gifted bible teacher teach on a Sunday morning… we also can see this through spiritual leadership of men and women through His Church.  You know when you have encountered such a person because when you spend time with them you are drawn closer to Christ.  Maybe they share a verse that encourages you (or even corrects you) and in the process you are strengthened in your faith and encouraged to live more faithfully to Him.

So we can see that the gift of “Wisdom” here seems to be for oneself and the gift of “Revelation” seems to be given for the benefit of others.

Now I don’t know about you but these seem to be pretty amazing gifts to possess.  Not to mention having the apostle Paul praying for you to posses them.  Obviously the bible is replete with ways by which to know and experience God more fully.  This is not an exhaustive list yet a an incredible insight into the relationship that existed between Paul and the God of the universe. So, we can conclude that one of the main ways these powerful attributes come into our lives in through the power of prayer on our behalf via others.

So what can we learn from this?  I think that for most of us, we want and desire to know God more and more fully, and yet at times it feels like there are road blocks in our way.

The key to knowing Him better is a process through which we gain wisdom and revelation through the Spirit of God.  This does not happen in isolation, apart from a community of faith.  The prayer of a community is the key!  Paul prayed for them and they prayed for Paul.  Through this intentional seeking of God {through prayer} on behalf of each other resulted in a deeper understanding and relationship with God.

So when we think about growing deeper in our relationship with God and gaining wisdom and revelation… let’s start the process!  Instead of waiting for someone else to pray for you, start praying for for others.  I would encourage you to even let someone you know (and knows you) in on that you are praying for wisdom and revelation for them.  As we begin to pray for others, we will connect with God and others will be inspired to return the favor and seek God on our behalf as well.

Do you want to know God more?  Let me know what you think! Share an encouraging word, who knows you might just help someone know God more by your words.