Day 21 : The hope of our heritage

We continue a little further on the prayer of the Apostle Paul in Eph. 1: 16-23 (read it again in your Bible !) Paul continues to speak of the hope that is attached to his call, what is the richness of the glory of his inheritance that he reserves for the saints. The Bible speaks continually about our inheritance in Christ.

It is therefore normal that this should take an important place in our prayers. We forget so quickly the eternal perspective, especially when things get difficult. The richness of the glory of his inheritance which he reserves for the saints is not primordially for here on earth but for our life in eternity. The more we obey the call of God, the more we can receive inheritance in return in heaven ! The subject of eternal remuneration is very interesting, but it is not the subject here, so we will leave it aside.

What we must understand is that the difficulties here below will be much easier to bear if we have a good understanding and enlightenment of our heavenly calling and the richness of the glory of its inheritance that awaits us. If we keep this hope, we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus even in difficulties. It is for this reason that this prayer is so important: it directs us towards the vision and the thought of God, that it is, but also what it has for us in provision. It helps us to keep a heavenly vision of things, and to live the difficulties here below with this hope.

The rest of this prayer speaks of the power and the greatness of God. But I would like to emphasize this : towards us who believe. This power, this greatness is at work for you and for me ! And we must believe, otherwise we risk missing ! When God is for us, who can be against us ? (Romans 8:31) Paul says somewhere that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us !

This prayer therefore directs us to whom God is truly, to eternal things and our position and inheritance in Christ. We can not in fact find Paul's prayers for his own needs, unless these needs were related to his work for the Lord. For him, it was obvious that all Christians have a call, an important place, a particular destiny. For him, there was no distinction between 'the mass' that fills the benches of churches every Sunday morning, and those 'in the ministry'. I think we must think the same way, and by praying this prayer in Ephesians regularly, we can, if we have not already done so, begin to grasp this truth.

In the following days we will study other prayers of Paul, and we shall see that they are in the same spirit and direction.

"Lord, thank you for this hope that we have in you, of this inheritance that we are waiting for, and of which we have already received the deposit. Help me to always have this heavenly vision, and 'think of things from above' and help me to find the specific call you have for me! In the name of Jesus, amen !"

René de Groot