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Ephesians 1:17-19 (NIV): “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. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.”
In taking down the Christmas tree, and putting away all the decorations, I found a box in a cabinet in our garage that I had labeled: “St. Mary’s Hospital, Jonathan.” I took it out and opened the lid. Inside I saw Get Well cards; children drew pictures on paper for Jonathan; three hospital wristbands; cards from florists from people sending flowers; and my day by day report of our young son’s serious medical condition.
Jonathan went straight from being examined by a Mayo Clinic pediatrician at 8:00 AM, to being admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital, in Rochester, Minnesota, at 9:30 AM, back on July 2, 1979. He was only three years old at the time. The possible and probable diagnosis was extremely bleak, and our son was not able to walk over the weekend. Our local doctor’s skill and diagnosis we questioned so we went to Mayo Clinic, to get their opinion.
After four days of being in the hospital, and going through an entourage of infectious disease doctors, and every other specialist, Jonathan was released, because all tests came back with negative results for suspected Osteomyelitis. Minor surgery was done on a cyst on his face right in his hospital bed in the room. That was the culprit of the original medical predicament, and a surgery date was set up for him to come back and have it surgically removed on an out-patient basis during the following month.
Such memories flooded my thoughts as I read every card. One stood out because it was from “Grandma and Buffy.” This card was from my mother-in-law who passed away several years ago. Her dog’s name was Buffy. What a unique souvenir to find from her – that she had written a personal note to Jonathan regarding his upcoming operation.
As I was reading Ephesians 1:17-19, about the words that Paul wrote and prayed for the people in the church in Ephesus, I thought, these are the same words that I and every parent prays for their children:
- Wisdom and revelation from God for their life.
- That they may know God better and intimately.
- Obtaining their own insights into God’s Word.
- Have a saving knowledge of Christ.
- To hold onto hope grounded in their faith in Christ.
- To fulfill God’s purpose for their life.
Those were tough days, back when Jonathan was only three years old in that hospital room where he was in isolation. But God answered our prayers because He had a set purpose for not shortening our son’s life. It gave us a new revelation seeing other parents on that floor, and how life just stops still when your child is very ill, and there is nothing you can do to make it better.
But after reviewing all the items in this box full of memories, I had to ask myself, how about me? Do I always have solid hope in Christ during troubling circumstances? Am I displaying or reflecting, having faith, hope, and love due to my relationship with Christ? My life is anchored in eternity, so why do I not always have the right default perspective for the world’s climate around me?
In the Hebrew and Greek culture, the heart was considered to be the center of knowledge, understanding, thinking, and wisdom. That is why Paul prayed for the Ephesians to be enlightened.
My prayer for the start of this brand new year, 2018, for my children and family is found in the verses of Ephesians 1:18-19. This is how it is worded in the Message: “I ask – ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory – to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him – endless energy, boundless strength!”
Questions:
How can you personally know God better?
If you are in a quandary of wondering what God’s purpose is for your life, ask God to give you His vision for what He intended you to become. Ask Him to enlighten the eyes of your heart.
Listen to Casting Crown’s “Here’s My Heart.”