Ever since Paul had heard about the Ephesian believers, he had been praying for them. He wanted them to understand all that God had done for them.
Read Ephesians 1:18-19a.
Paul also prayed that God would enlighten the eyes of their hearts. Now what does that mean? The last time I looked, my heart was in my chest and it didn’t have any eyes! Actually, Paul was using a figure of speech. He wanted them to see and understand what God was doing. When our Volvo XC90 was being repaired, the mechanic pointed a small flashlight at a part of the transmission that was causing the problem. Without that light, I never would have seen it. This is what Paul wanted for the Ephesian believers. First, he wanted them to see the hope of God’s calling. Before God called us to come to him, we had no hope of escaping Hell because of our sin. Now in Jesus we have hope. Second, he wanted them to see how glorious it was for God to have us as his inheritance. It makes God look good when people see how he saved us from our sinful way of living. Third, he wanted them to see God’s great power toward those who believe. God is so powerful that he can pull a sinner away from his sin no matter how badly that person loves his sin. These are the things Paul wanted the Christians to understand.
- What does “enlighten the eyes of your heart” mean?
- What was the first thing to see?
- What was the second thing to see?
- What was the third thing to see?
- Who made all of these things possible?
