SCRIPTURE: Eph. 1:17-23 - Just v.18 in Amplified: "And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),"
PRAYER FOCUS: For the eyes of every believer in our neighborhood to be open to know the hope, inheritance, and power available in Christ
This is one of my all time favorite Scripture passages. Oddly enough, my mother-in-law turned me to it when she gave me a study called 'Pray Big' by Alistair Begg. "And so Paul is praying that those who have come to faith in Jesus, may have the eyes of their hearts enlightened, so that they might see clearly. Yet, what is it that He wants us to see?" (Begg, p.43). Eph. 1:3-13 gives this laundry list of what is true of us: Chosen, Adopted, Accepted, Redeemed, Informed, Heirs, Sealed by The Spirit. There is power in knowing this and that we are Christ's body. It is imperative to recognize this truth and know that power, influence, and confidence come from a strong sense of this identity in Christ and not allowing the lies of the enemy to hold us back. Let us pray, Father of glory, thank you for giving us Your One and Only, so that we believers have every spiritual blessing available to us in Him. May we be confident in this truth and approach Your Throne boldly raising our neighborhoods up to You, because we cannot do anything without You. Enlighten us to Your wisdom and help us to see what You are up to and where You are so that we fulfill Your will for Your purpose and see Your power and might on display in our lives. Thank You, because we were once blind, and now we see because of You.