Living Wisely #4—Appreciative Wisdom

Since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened, I pray that the God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, so that you may understand better the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. Ephesians 1:17–19

Wisdom includes the disposition to delight in what is truly lovely, especially with regard to the spiritual treasures available in our relationship with the Son of God. Like the flood of light and indistinct images experienced by the corneal transplant patient when the bandages are finally removed, we begin to sense the joy of our eternal fellowship with God. But clarity is his goal, and ours. We pray for him to wisely reveal the beauty of all he accomplished as he brought us from the shame of sin to salvation. We yearn to become inquisitively aware of his continuing work in our lives as we follow Jesus in the obedience of faith. So, we can count on God to answer prayer for this kind of wisdom, because he is the one who commanded us to love him with our whole heart. Without this aspect of wisdom, we would not see or be moved by the extent of his glory. With this aspect of wisdom, we rejoice in him and in the community of saints he has created for himself.

Glorious Father, please enlighten my heart so I can appreciate your great work of salvation. And move me to meditate on all that you are up to in my life and in the world. Amen.