Ephesians 1:17 KJV – ‘That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.’
Odds are you have some important decisions to make in your life. Maybe today is your deadline or tomorrow or maybe even a month or a year from now. Either way you need some guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Whenever you are in need of guidance, Paul’s prayer to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 1:17 is an important scripture for you to apply to your life.
The word “wisdom” in this verse describes insight or wisdom not naturally attained. In other words, the Holy Spirit isn’t offering a natural human wisdom – He is offering a special insight.
The word “revelation” refers to something that has been veiled or hidden for a long time and then suddenly, almost instantaneously, becomes clear and visible to the mind or eye. It’s like pulling back the curtains to see what’s always been just outside your window. The moment you see beyond the curtain for the first time and observe what has been there all along but not previously evident to you is what the Bible calls a “revelation.”
Apply the meaning behind this word to the realm of spiritual truths. The truths we now grasp and enjoy were always there in the realm of the Spirit, but they were veiled — hidden to us. It wasn’t the time for these truths to be revealed yet, so they remained obscured from our sight. Once the right time came and the Holy Spirit removed the veil that obstructed our view, our minds instantly saw and understood. When this occurred, you and I had a revelation!
Have you ever read the Bible and understood something you never understood before? The truth and understanding of that verse was there all along, but it was hidden to your eyes. Suddenly, it was as if someone pulled the covers off the verse, and it literally jumped off the pages. You saw it! You understood it! You had a revelation!
Truths remain hidden until God chooses to reveal them. This is why Paul prayed for God “to give” the Ephesian church a spirit of wisdom and revelation. The phrase “to give” means to hand something over completely to someone else. It could also be translated to impart. Because the Ephesian church needed wisdom beyond their own human understanding, Paul asked God to give them what they needed: special insight that is not naturally attained.
If you need direction and guidance today, stop right now and pray Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:17 over your life. Ask God to give you “a spirit of wisdom and revelation.”
God has all the answers you need, and they’re not as far from you as you think. It only takes a moment for Him to remove the veil of ignorance and help you see clearly the things you need to understand. All you have to do is ASK!
PRAYER: Lord, please give me the insight and wisdom I need for this time in my life. There is so much I need to know, but I can’t figure it out by myself. Holy Spirit take away the veil that has obscured my view. Open my eyes to see exactly what I need to know. Give me a real revelation about my life, my situation, and the truth I need to know right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.