40 Days Blog - Day 2
Ephesians 1:15-23 - Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Ephesians
On 18th November 1991 Terry Waite, special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, was released after being held as a hostage for nearly five years by extremists in Beirut. He had gone there to negotiate the release of hostages in what was a dangerous and volatile international atmosphere. Within a few days he was seized. For the next four years he was held underground, entirely alone, blindfolded and shackled in chains. His living space was barely bigger than his massive 6ft 7inch frame. On the day of his release, he spoke eloquently about freedom and injustice…and he shared with the world’s press an amazing story of hope. At one point, out of the blue, his guards handed him a postcard with a picture of a stained-glass window in a Bedford church, depicting John Bunyan, in prison, writing. On the other side was a brief message from a lady called Joy Brodier, whom Waite did not know. Compelled to support Waite even though there was no certainty he was alive, she put a 22p stamp on the card, addressed it to ‘Terry Waite ℅ Hezbollah, Lebanon’ and stuck it in the local letterbox. Against the odds it arrived! Waite read her words, the first comfort he had received in his suffering. “We remember, we shall not forget, we shall continue to pray for you and to work for all people who are detained around the world.”
What power there is in prayer! What encouragement in sharing that with others. In these prison letters we will revisit Paul’s persistence in prayer for others time and again. We can certainly imagine the Ephesian Church, who knew Paul well, being faithful and earnest in their prayers for him in his suffering. But how encouraged they must have been in turn by this expression of his prayers for them.
We really need to go back to the end of yesterday’s reading to see from where Paul’s joy about the Ephesians comes. While we can never really understand why some people come to faith and some do not, the first step of coming to faith seems to be
hearing (v13) and by being open to what the Gospel says and claims. People need to be put in the path of the Gospel and this encourages us to keep it on our lips and in our lives for the sake of others.
Paul reassures them that being
included with Christ changes everything. We are God’s people, signed, sealed, delivered.
What Paul sees in his Ephesian friends is a community following Christ in a challenging and morally derelict society. So, Paul shares his encouragement about hearing of their life and growth as a Christian community with them. How would the Ephesians feel about the fact he has
not stopped giving thanks (for them) (v16)? How would we as a church feel if these words were written to us?
His prayer for them is a longing that they would grow closer to Jesus and grow in wisdom and understanding. But all this is underpinned by the fact that heaven is on our side. Yesterday we read that all spiritual blessing in heaven is ours. Today we read that the same power that raised Jesus from death
is for us who believe! (and that’s no small thing!)
So the opening of this letter to a church, just as we are a church, says this:
Christians are completely adopted and included in God’s good will and family. We have all the benefits of the family. A father who watches over us, a brother who has rescued us and the power that reversed death in us.
But with the benefits of the family comes responsibility to the family. And we’ll be turning there soon.
A Prayer
Gracious Father, I cannot understand why You could be so generous to me. Thank You for this reading and what it teaches me about Your compassion and care for me. Lord, I long to know You better and to grow in understanding and wisdom. I pray, Lord for those suffering in captivity for Your name throughout the World today. And I pray Lord that there will be more openness to hearing Your word in this community and among those I know.
Amen.
Listen to today's reading and blog post below...