A Time of Healing

One of the greatest of all Paul's prayers is found in Ephesians: ...making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to 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 may 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 surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe... (Ephesians 1:16-19)


Of all the phrases Paul ever wrote, this one phrase resonates with me like almost nothing else: "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened." That is exactly what I want: the eyes of my heart to be enlightened. It is not enough to hear the gospel and say, "OK, I'll buy that." I want to see it for the hope that it is. I want to understand that my inheritance is rich beyond measure. I want to know in my heart how great is the powerful hand reaching down to save me. I want to see past the difficulties of today to the joy of an eternal life of righteousness. This is what I want; this is what I sometimes fear I cannot do; this is what God can and will do for me. Paul knows God will do this for a believer; that is why he prays for it.

Later in Ephesians is another equally compelling prayer:
...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Life in this age can be tough, and painful. It is so easy for us to lose sight of our existence: that God in Christ is saving us with a love so deep that we cannot find its limits. At times, we may feel weak for lack of the knowledge of God's love; Paul is praying that we would be dragged into its depths and soaked in it. Not just that we would "feel" loved; such feelings come and go. Paul wants us to know how deeply God loves us so that we can stand firm in the face of today's discouragement.

Today has been a trying day, I have cried for my friends today, as two are in surgery as I write this, one on life support. I need to go to prayer for there is nothing I can do.

Father, I come to you with a heavy heart today, but as Paul tells us you love us so much and you can’t stand knowing that one of your children is suffering. Father I am asking for your loving hands to be on my friends today as they undergo sugery, Father fear evokes us because we don’t know what you have planned for them, but I ask for your healing touch in Gail and Jr’s body today as they undergo these procedures. Father if you can just lay your hands on that open wound in Gails body and make it whole again. Father I ask that her body doesn’t need a bag the rest of her life, for see im not even questioning that she will be ok, for your word gives us hope. Father please give strength to Jr’s lungs and let this procedure be successful in his knee, Father He is a man with a heart after you, give Him the wisdom to do more for you. I thank you today for the love that you have shown to me and all my family and friends. I thank you for this healing in Jesus’ Holy name. Amen!