God's Holy Fire: 'To Know Him Better'

Thursday, March 16, 2023

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.
— Ephesians 1:17 NIV

Key Thought

Paul is praying this prayer for new followers of Jesus, and I love the language, "I keep asking ..." This intercession is his ongoing and constant prayer for them. And this prayer isn't asking for stuff, strength, or even forgiveness. Paul keeps asking that the Father send the Spirit in such a way that the Ephesian Christians can know God more fully because the Spirit brings a kind of wisdom and insight that they could never have without the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:11-14). I can think of no more important prayer for us to pray for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ than that God will give each of us "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation."

Today's Prayer

O Father, almighty and sovereign LORD, I pray with the apostle Paul that you will give love to those I know and bring before you by name ..., that you will give them the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation" so that we can know you, O God. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, March 16, 2023

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Jesus Prayed for Our Protection & Unity'
"Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect..."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'God's Simple Message' (1 Co. 2:1-5)
"Dear Father, God of all true wisdom, power, and glory, When I set about to share your Good News about Jesus with other people, keep me from using..."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Who Sits at Your Table of Grace?'
"Dear Friend, You have been blessed with great honor to be included at My table of grace! When you come and remember Me at what you call "the Lord's....."
Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Proverbs 14:23
"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."

Illustration

Illustration of Ephesians 1:17 NIV — 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.

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations