Eph 1:15-17 (NIV) For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
NOTE: The first thing to notice is that Paul did not originate the work in Ephesus ("ever since I heard about your faith…"), although he spent considerable time there teaching (3 years). It was a church that he deeply loved and that cared for him as well. It did not have the same struggles as some of the other churches, and that may be related to less wealth and other previous pagan practices -- that is, while existing, may not have been as extreme.
One of the best aspects of prayers in scripture is that we have a pattern that is biblical. The first thing Paul does is to give thanks. While people do give thanks in corporate prayer, oftentimes our private prayer is entirely needs intensive, and usually those needs are personal needs. Paul's first request for the Ephesians is for wisdom and revelation, to know God better. By far, the most important thing that we can ask for any individual is to know God better. Knowing God changes people. Changes don't make people love God or know him better. Laws do not create a new heart or attitude. That is a spiritual work that is an outflow of a relationship to God.
Application: I need to renew my own prayer time with God
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