Lord God, Revealer of divine mystery,
I give You praise, as the Creator of all things, that You kept Your plan hidden in past ages. I give You thanks that Your shrouded mystery has now been revealed. You had not revealed it to previous generations, but now by Your Spirit You have revealed the mystery to Your holy apostles and prophets.
And this is Your revelation: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches we now inherit as Your children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because both Jews and Gentiles can belong to Christ Jesus. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We all get the same offer, the same help, the same promises in Christ Jesus. Your grace, God, is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.
I, however, have not always been welcoming to everyone. I have valued and devalued people based on the color of their skin, their economic status, their level of education, their political point of view, their nationality, or their ethnic heritage. Sometimes, my pride-filled self-pity causes me to act like I am “worse than.” At other times, my self-exalting arrogance causes me to think I am “better than.” In short, I fail to love as You love. I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory.
Like the apostle Paul, I see myself as the least of the saints, the most undeserving of all Your people. Yet You have given me Your grace. Jesus laid down His life for me to forgive me for my lack of love. He rose again to give me new life. Because of Christ and my faith in Him, I can now come boldly and confidently into Your presence.
By the working of Your power, You have called me to be Your minister. You have given me insight into Your mystery. You have granted me the honor of serving You by spreading the Good News. You have graciously invited me to tell everyone about the endless treasures available to all who are in Christ. And so here I am, Lord, with the responsibility to announce to others – Jews and Gentiles, black and white, rich and poor, young and old – things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ.
Give me more and more insight into the mystery of Christ. May I be a good steward of the grace that has been given to me. If necessary, help me be willing to suffer on behalf of others in order to share Your gospel with them.
Lord, use Your church – and me in it – to accomplish Your purpose to display Your manifold wisdom to the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Show all of creation the many colors – the artistry – of Your supreme intelligence. May Your extraordinary plan to unite all mankind in Christ be known and talked about even among the angels!
Make Your mystery known, Lord, through me.
Amen.
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This prayer has been inspired by Ephesians 3:1-13. Some of the words and phrases in this prayer have been taken directly from the English Standard Version, The Message, and the New Living Translation.
