Pray Until Eyes Open

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 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: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:16-18)

Paul wrote that God wants to give believers the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. It is not wisdom in general or as a broad concept. It is wisdom and revelation, specifically, in the knowledge of God Himself. The more you know God, really know Him, the more wisdom and revelation flow as a natural result of that knowing. And then Paul got even more specific. He prayed that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened. In other words, that the inner capacity to perceive and comprehend spiritual things would open up in a way that makes the hope of your calling visible and the riches of your inheritance as a saint of God real and tangible. I pray this prayer over myself every morning, not as a ritual but as a deliberate, expectant act of faith. I have noticed that after consistently praying this, I gain more revelation, then more, then more on top of that. That is the pattern God uses, and praying this prayer consistently puts you in the flow of it.

You can personalize this prayer. Put your name in it. Pray it over yourself daily. And you can pray it over others, too, including people who are not yet saved, because one of the primary reasons people remain in unbelief is that their eyes of understanding have not yet been opened. They are in darkness. They cannot see what is plainly visible to the person whose spiritual eyes have been enlightened. Pray for their eyes to open the same way you pray for your own. God is no respecter of persons. What I have experienced is for you, too. The same prayer is available to you. Start today and do not stop.

Practical Application

Write out Ephesians 1:16-18 and personalize it with your own name. Pray it over yourself every morning this week without missing a day. Also, identify one person in your life whose eyes of understanding need to be opened, and begin praying this prayer over them by name.

Isaiah 11:2; Proverbs 2:5