Dear Lord God, my heavenly Father,
I praise You for being the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have revealed Yourself as the Father through the Son by the Spirit. You have also revealed Your will through Your written Word. You have not hidden Yourself. You desire to be truly known.
Yet I did not know You as You really are. My eyes were blind. I was without hope. I had no inheritance. I was spiritually anemic. I had no personal, intimate insight into Your will, Your works, or Your ways. I did not choose to pursue You. In my willful spiritual ignorance, I was dead in my trespasses and sins.
But You pursued me. You sent Christ to die on the cross. You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places. There, He rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. Jesus is now in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments. Nothing is exempt from His rule – and not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all. He has the final word on everything. His name is above every name. Jesus is the supreme and authoritative Lord of all.
Thank You for opening the eyes of my heart and giving me faith in the Lord Jesus. May the very core of my being be flooded with the light of Your truth by the Holy Spirit. O God, keep my eyes focused and clear, so that I can see exactly what it is You are calling me to do. Help me to grow in my knowledge of who You are and cherish the sure hope that I have – the riches of Your glorious, guaranteed inheritance.
Help me to access the immeasurable, the unlimited, and the surpassing greatness of Your dynamic power in me and in all who believe. I do not want to live in my own energy. Help me, instead to live according to the power You displayed when Jesus was raised from the dead. I proclaim that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is the same power at work in me. When I feel like I’m in a power struggle, remind me that I do not fight for power, but fight against fear, anxiety, discouragement, frustration and pride with power you have given me through Christ.
Lord, enable me to grasp the immensity of the glorious way of life You have for all who follow Jesus. Produce more and more love in me for all God’s people. Help me to live in such a way that my unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus and my outpouring of love to all God’s people will be seen and known by others. When others think of me, I want them to thank You.
Now, I ask You to empower the work of Your church. You have made Jesus the head of the church. And You have placed me in Your church as part of His body. May Jesus so speak and act through His church and through my life that He fills everything in the world with His presence.
Amen.
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This prayer is based on the truths found in Ephesians 1:15-23. Some of the words and phrases are taken directly from the English Standard Version, the Amplified Bible, the Contemporary English Version, the PHILLIPS translation, The Message, and the New Living Translation.
