paul's thanksgiving prayer

The church of Ephesus emerged from a revival (Acts 19) around 52 AD. Around a decade after its establishment, believers continued to be faithful to be Lord in both faith and love for all the saints (Ephesians 1:15). The fruits of Paul’s labor in Ephesus were evident, giving him reason to be thankful to the Lord for their faith and testimony. For Paul, praying for the Ephesian believers to know and experience more of God was itself an act of thanksgiving (Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:3).

Out of gratefulness springs this prayer of thanksgiving for the Ephesian believers:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might” (Ephesians 1:17–19 NASB)

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians can be summarized as a single petition: for them to receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. According to this prayer, revelation would have three significant effects on their lives. These effects collectively point toward a growth in faith, producing greater confidence in God as the ultimate outcome of knowing Him.

Father of Glory

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” (Ephesians 1:17a NASB)

“Him” in verse 17 refers to the Father, just as Jesus prayed in the Lord’s prayer and the High Priestly Prayer. Father of Glory could mean “Father of the one who is himself the Glory of God (Jesus, Hebrews 1:3) or glorious Father, meaning that the glory of which Paul speaks reflects the greatness of God’s person, the essence of his honor and power” (Cohick, L.H.).

Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him

“may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,” (Ephesians 1:17b-18a NASB)

Earlier, he mentions that they had been sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13). Here, he is not asking for the Spirit to come to them again but for them to experience the power of God through wisdom and revelation. Tim Mackie defines revelation in this context as an unveiling to see what can only be seen with eyes of faith, the exaltation of the crucified and risen Messiah. This unveiling is like light shining over darkness, our inner man being enlightened with the knowledge of God.

"For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB)

Paul in First Corinthians 2:1-16 explains that as believers, we have the mind of Christ for the Spirit of God who knows the thoughts of God, he reveals them to us, and we receive the revelation to understand the things freely given to us by God. The prayer in Ephesians aligns with this by asking for more revelation of God to understand what has been given to us as believers: hope rooted in our calling, riches overflowing from our inheritance, and the greatness of the manifest power of God in our lives.

The Hope of His Calling

“so that you will know what is the hope of His calling” (Ephesians 1:18b NASB)

According to Paul’s prayer, the three effects of God’s revelation, have a genitive case relationship between their nouns. This means that a noun is used as a description or a modifier for another noun. For example, on this first one, the main noun is hope, and the modifier is calling. Paul is not praying for the believers to know their calling but to know the hope attached to their calling in Christ.

The main calling of Israel is to be a Kingdom of Priests (Exodus 19:6). Through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we have been brought into that calling (2 Timothy 1:9). However, the reality of our calling has a dual reality of now and not yet. Now, we can partner with God in establishing his Kingdom on Earth by working faithfully on our divine assignments. Not yet, our complete inheritance is kept in Heaven until the fullness of time where we will reign with him forever (1 Peter 1:3-5, Ephesians 1:13-14, Revelation 22:5).

The hope of our calling is grounded in our confidence in the Lord’s word, that he will do what he said he would do (Ezekiel 24:14). Biblical hope is fundamentally linked to God’s word, his covenants, and his promises for now and for the future. Jeffrey S. Lamp writes: “The certainty of the eschatological consummation of God’s promised future is the present confidence, trusting patience, and desire that form the hope of Christians, and this hope is engendered through the presence of the promised Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:24–25).”

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:5–7 NASB)

The Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance

“what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18c ESV)

Riches is the main noun for the second effect, and inheritance modifies it. Paul prays that believers know the riches of their glorious inheritance. God’s inheritance for the saints includes but is not limited to eternal life, salvation, and power. The riches of his inheritance have daily effects on our lives. The Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance until we get a hold of it, in the meantime, we experience the riches of it.

Paul lists some in chapter 1, verses 3 through 14. Adoption (5), grace (6), redemption (7), wisdom and insight (8), and an eternal inheritance (11). Spiritual blessings, gifts, and fruits are part of the riches of being heirs in Christ now in the present while waiting for the fullness of our inheritance when heaven comes to earth. This gives us confidence to continue pursuing God in the knowledge of Him.

The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19a ESV)

For the third effect, greatness is the main noun. As an analogy, if God’s power is represented by fire, Paul is praying for the believers to understand the intensity of its heat. Similarly, in Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians, he does not merely pray for them to know God’s love but to grasp its full dimensions—the width, length, height, and depth (Ephesians 3:18). A lukewarm Christian might observe God’s power from a distance, but only those who draw near can truly feel the intensity with which it burns.

Paul is praying for an outpouring of the Spirit, so that they would know and experience the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in heavenly places (1:20), for the praise of His Glory. Experiential knowledge that gives confidence in the Lord Almighty.

“so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5 NASB)

"Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite." (Psalms 147:5 NASB)

Confidence through Faith

“so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:10–12 NASB)

Ephesians 3:10-12 gives us insight into the motive for his first prayer for the church, which leads readers into his second prayer in verses 16-19. Through Jesus, the eternal purpose and God’s will are established by revealing His wisdom through the Spirit to the church so that the church would share it forward.

The unveiling of the hope for which we have been called, the blessings which we have been given, and the greatness of God’s power who supports and never lets go, make believers bold and confident through the strengthening of our faith by the increased experiential knowledge of the character, nature, affection, and will of God.

Paul’s first thanksgiving prayer is for the experiential knowledge of the Father to be revealed in our lives to increase our faith and for the name of the God of Glory to be praised.