One of the striking features about moving from Ephesians 1:3-14 [+/-]Ephesians 1:3-14 [3]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4]even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5]he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6]to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7]In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8]which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9]making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10]as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. [11]In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, [12]so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. [13]In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14]who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
to Ephesians 1:15-23 [+/-]Ephesians 1:15-23 [15]For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16]I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, [17]that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18]having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19]and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20]that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21]far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22]And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23]which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (ESV)
in addition to the move from one sentence to a second sentence, yes; that is right that 3-14 is one sentence and 15-23 is a second sentence, is the move from the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation to Paul giving thanks to God in prayer.  Paul has just proclaimed the majestic goodness and grace of God in the gift of spiritual blessings to His people:  God chooses those who are His, God adopts them into His family, God redeems His own from the bondage of sin as He saves them by His Spirit, secures them by that same Spirit and by that same Spirit begins the progressive work of sanctification as God makes us to become in Christ what we already are in Christ.  And every dimension of it is from God and for God.  It is by His great grace and for His great glory because He is such a great God.  Someone has said that there is no higher statement in the Bible of the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation than is found in Ephesians 1:3-14 [+/-]Ephesians 1:3-14 [3]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4]even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5]he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6]to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7]In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8]which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9]making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10]as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. [11]In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, [12]so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. [13]In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14]who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
.  So, what does Paul do at the end of this declaration:  he prays.

I find that both interesting and intriguing particularly in the light of the struggle that some seem to have between God’s absolute sovereignty in all things and our praying to this God.  Paul does not have this struggle at all.  In fact, it seems that it is precisely God’s sovereignty that moves Paul to pray with great gratitude to this God who will do what He declares.  His prayer is a prayer that is focused on the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and it is a prayer of faith as He trusts God to provide what God promises to provide.  Working through this section of Ephesians prompted me to take pen in hand with pad before me and to write down my first responses to this question:  “if God is absolutely sovereign, then why do we pray?”  Add your own responses to this list.  Make your own list.  These are things that first came to me when I raised this question:

1.  I pray to give thanks and praise to a God who is so great; 2.  I pray to bring Him pleasure because it pleases Him for His people to call upon His name; 3. I pray because I so much want to be a part of His plan to be productive for His praise and to live out His purposes; 4.  I pray bringing my petitions to Him because I do not know what He knows so that I can plead with Him for my brothers and sisters who are in pain that as it pleases God He wold heal their hurts and make them whole so that they can be a testimony of praise to His Name; 5.  I pray for God to grant sufficient grace and perfect peace where it is not His will to deliver form the pain that penetrates the body and the soul so that those who are in such dire straits will praise Him in the “dark night  of the soul” as much as they would if they were walking in sunlilght; 6.  I pray for His help in the midst of temptation and His grace to deliver from the evil one; 7.  I pray for His protection and His provision of “daily bread.”  8.  I pray for power from on high without which there is no effectiveness in the preaching and teaching of His Word.  I pray because He is the sovereign God of all who knows and sees so that I can pray in confidence and faith.

It was while I was making this list that it occurred to me that the people who have come into my life who struggle with prayer in the light of God’s sovereignty are those who want to be in control of their own lives.  They want to will their way to heaven and reason their way to their understanding of God.   Their God is a God with a little “g.”  They pray to their “god” and when it goes their way they talk much about themselves and their prayers, but when it does not go their way they either beat themselves up as sinners or they just pray more and pray harder.  But when we rest in His sovereignty we don’t have to pray this way.  We can pray in faith believing that our God sees and our God knows and our God acts for the glory of His Name which is always, always for the good of His people.  I do not pray in spite of His sovereignty; I pray with great joy because He is sovereign:  Our Fahter who is in the heavens . . .

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