As far as I know, the apostle Paul was not one to create surprises. It’s possible he arranged a surprise birthday party for Barnabas, or gave a gift-for-no-reason to Timothy, or secured a bouquet of flowers for Lydia in appreciation for her hospitality, but there’s no record of such deeds.
However, when he prayed for the believers at Ephesus, he did include a startling statement:
Note that Paul asked God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, not so they would make judicious choices or recognize and follow God’s plan. For me, those two requests would more closely fit what I’d expect. Instead, Paul desired the Ephesians to know God better.
Centuries later, author/pastor A. W. Tozer brilliantly summed up why that would be uppermost in Paul’s mind:
Paul knew from his own experience that developing intimacy with the Heavenly Father would provide more pleasure, meaning, and satisfaction in this life–beyond what earth can offer. In fact, life’s journey can become a wonder-filled treasure hunt as we study the scriptures and look for evidence of God’s glorious Presence all around us, because:
God’s richest gift . . . this side of eternity
is the revelation of himself.
F. Elaine Olsen (1)
As we seek to know God better, we’ll discover delightful facets of his shimmering Personhood—facets such as these:
- Grace. Even though he knew every act we’d commit that would break his heart, God the Son willingly died for us anyway. Nothing can separate us from his fierce love.
- Goodness. Even when trouble overtakes us there is good, because there is always God—with his empowering strength, his sweet comfort, and his unfathomable peace.
- Power to transform. “All we are is by Christ, all we have is from Christ, and all we will be is through Christ” (2). He alone can transform us, creating beauty out of ashes.
- Power to produce. What we offer him may be as insignificant as five loaves and two fish, but when we put them in God’s hands, he produces more than we can imagine.
- Love. “Every door that opens into a treasury of love shows another door into another treasury beyond. We need not fear that we shall ever come to the end of God’s goodness, or any experience for which he will have no blessing ready” (3).
That’s because our God is a “way-making, promise-keeping, battle-winning, water-walking, storm-stilling, faithful Friend and Savior” (4). What treasure could possibly surpass such magnificence?
- F. Elaine Olsen, Beyond the Scars, 27.
- Herbert Lockyer, Seasons of the Lord, 206.
- J. R. Miller, quoted in Seasons of the Lord, 199.
- Kaitlyn Bouchillon, Take Heart, 210.
Photo credits: http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.canva.com; http://www.quoteinspector.com.
From the Inside Out 