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, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 1:17-20

Prayer Points

Pray for yourself to know God better. Pray some of the things stated in Ephesians 1:17. As one commentator says: ‘that your “pre-school” experience of God will develop into maturity’.

Pray for your church leader to know more of God.

Pray for the correction of wrong understanding. Many people struggle because of false views of God. Pray for someone who is a prisoner to a false view of God.

Pray for a young person you know that they would know their father’s love. When girls know they are loved by their father they are far less prone to search for intimacy in wrong relationships.

     DAY 4 : KNOWING

In the 1992 Olympics Derek Redmond was tipped for a medal in the 400m. Immediately after the start of the race he experienced a ham-string injury. In that moment all the years of preparation and training came to an end. But he was determined to finish the course and began to hobble along in immense pain.

It was at this point that a figure pushed through the crowd onto the track. It was his father. He had realised that Derek was going to finish the race, come what may. So he put his arms round Derek and the two of them hobbled along together with Derek burying his head on his father’s shoulder. There was a great cheer when they crossed the finishing line.

Derek says of his father: ‘I’m very, very close to my father. He has a massive influence on my life. He was never my coach but he came to every race. He was everything else. My motivator, my hero, my pal, my bodyguard, my physio and my masseur some days. You name it, he was it.’

Jesus knew his Father in heaven. He said some striking things about that relationship, but most astonishing is that he invited us to join in the relationship they had together. In a single phrase Jesus says something that turns most religion on its head: ‘Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’ (John 17:3).

Jesus was saying that people can know God personally. Being a Christian is not a matter of being religious but having a relationship. We can know God, not just things about him, because he is our Father.

Pray

*    Pray for your ‘big issue’

*    Pray for your ‘three friends’

*    Pray for a new wave of revival.