Praying for the Spirit of Wisdom

[Steve Myers] Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a unique place. They were faced with many different challenges. And Paul told them at the beginning of his letter that he was praying for them. And he said something interesting that he was praying on their behalf for. In Ephesians, right at the very beginning, here's what he says. In Ephesians 1:17 after saying he is praying for them he says, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." You ever wondered what to pray for? Perhaps this is something you could add to your prayers. He says he is praying for the spirit of wisdom. 

Now the interesting part of this wisdom that Paul is praying for, if you were to look this word up in the Greek, he's not just praying that well I hope you'll be smarter people or that you'll just be wiser. When he talks about the spirit of wisdom, it's a special type of thing that's giving insight, kind of a direction that you normally wouldn't have. This is not a natural way of thinking, this is not a normal aptitude that we would have. What Paul talks about here, this is special insight. So he is praying for them for special insight. 

And, of course, as we deal with life as those in Ephesus did, we need God's direction, we need His guidance. And when we're faced with difficulties, we need to have the clear vision that God can give us through the spirit of wisdom. So, pray that God would give you the wisdom that you need for whatever you may be facing in your life. That your eyes could be opened to see exactly what God wants you to see, what you need to know, and then begin to apply it. Because Paul says that very thing in the next verse. He says that, "The eyes of your understanding could be enlightened." He says, "That you may know." Now, what is it that you should know? Well, with special insight, he says, "You should know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." (Ephesians 1:18)

And so he gives this direction for each of us so that we can better know how to pray. So next time you're praying, ask God to give you the spirit of wisdom so that you can have that special insight to order your life God's way.

That's BT Daily, we'll see you next time.