One of the prayers that I often pray from scripture comes from the Apostle Paul. It’s a very simple prayer, but very powerful.
“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.” -Eph 1:17
When Paul prayed for the church, this is what he prayed! And he didn’t ask just once, he kept asking.
I think the reason for that is very simple. Paul had a revelation of Jesus Christ that many others didn’t have. He wanted the whole church to get in on it!
You can’t see, have revelation, without light.
God gave me an amazing illustration of this recently. I had plugged in a very bright light and had set it on the floor. Suddenly I saw a whole world that I hadn’t seen before!!
The entire floor was covered with cat litter.
In the ordinary light of the room it had gone completely unnoticed. All it took was a brighter light to expose what was there!
I think that is how it is with the light of God.
It will show us who we really are, exposing what is really in us. It will also show us who God really is.
In the book of Hebrews Jesus is called the “radiance” of God’s glory. While accurate, it doesn’t do justice to what God is trying to tell us about Himself. One translation uses the word “effulgence” which I think is much better.
The definition:
“Effulgence is brightness taken to the extreme. You may be dazzled by it, stunned by it, or even overcome by it.”
Glory to God! I believe that pretty much says it all!!
“Who being the effulgence of His glory, and the very image of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power…” -Heb 1:3
Jesus isn’t your ordinary light!
You could take every sun of every solar system that exists, combine them together, and Jesus would still be brighter!
We think we know Him, but we haven’t begun to understand.
Consider for a moment…
“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” -1 Timothy 6:15
Jesus is the radiance, the effulgence, the stunning brightness, the outraying of God. God is so bright and glorious we are told He lives in unapproachable light! It was through the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ that God was truly made known to us.
“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” -John 1:18
It’s fascinating to me, that God, being of this kind of brightness could ever remain hidden!
It proves the necessity of revelation. Unless God opens our eyes we simply cannot see!
It also tells me that there’s much more about God to be discovered than what I’ve presently experienced. There is a glory in Jesus that is beyond anything that words can express. I want to enter into this thing! There’s no better way then to simply ask God to show us who Jesus really is.
I encourage you to pray, as Paul the Apostle did, for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better!