We can see the matter of prayer throughout the entire New Testament. We see the Lord’s prayer in the Gospels, which focuses on the principles of prayer. We also see the Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane and the two prayers of the apostle Paul in Ephesians. Among all these prayers, the two prayers in Ephesians can be said to be the most practical and complete prayers in the New Testament.
There are two prayers in Ephesians—one in chapter one and the other in chapter three. The prayer in chapter one focuses on revelation, and the prayer in chapter three focuses on experience. In the prayer in chapter one, the apostle asks God for spiritual revelation that we may see that God has to work in us to the extent that we become the inheritance of His glory. In the prayer in chapter three, the apostle asks God to strengthen us through His Spirit into our inner man that we may experience the power in us which has already been manifested. This power is all that God has accomplished in Christ. There is no other passage like Ephesians 1 that is able to tell us in such a precise and complete way what God has accomplished in Christ.
Ephesians 1:19-23 says, “And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.” There is a power in Christ which caused Him to be raised, to ascend, to be far above all things, and to be Head over all things, and which also caused the church to become His mystical Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Today this accomplishing power is also toward us who believe. However, we may not be able to see all the matters that God in Christ is working out in us. For this, the apostle prayed to God that we would have revelation.
Then in chapter three the apostle prayed that God, according to this revelation, would grant us the experience, because it is one thing for God to work something out in us, but it is another thing for us to experience it personally. God gives us the revelation and seeing in order that we may have the experience. Many of us, however, not only do not have the experience but also do not have the seeing. Regarding the two prayers in Ephesians, we may be absolutely inexperienced. There are many Christians who are able to recite the Lord’s prayer but who do not have any understanding of the apostle’s prayers. They often recite the Lord’s prayer, but they do not care for these two prayers which are of the highest spiritual standard. Today we who are in the Lord’s recovery must know these two prayers.
These two prayers are centered on the same matter, which is God in Christ working Himself into us. The emphasis of the first prayer is on revelation and seeing, and the emphasis of the second prayer is on experience and enjoyment. This is what we must see clearly. These two prayers touch the same matter, which is the mysterious God in Christ working out an exceedingly great mystery in us. This matter first requires our seeing and then our experience.
For us to have the seeing and the experience, the apostle uttered two special prayers—one in chapter one, which is a prayer for revelation, and the other in chapter three, which is a prayer for experience. These two prayers touch only one thing. The most obvious point of similarity is that the issue mentioned at the end of both prayers is the filling. The first prayer ends with the church being the fullness of the One who fills all in all, and the second prayer ends with us being filled unto all the fullness of God. From this we see that even though the wording of these two prayers is different, their result—that God in Christ is filling us—is absolutely consistent. God and we, we and God, will be completely mingled together, and we will be filled unto all the fullness of God. The ultimate result of these two prayers touches this same matter.
As for us, first we need the seeing, which is why the apostle prayed for us regarding revelation, and second, we need the experience, which is why the apostle prayed for us regarding experience. Both prayers touch the great mystery of God mingling with man. The first one is regarding revelation for our seeing, and the second is regarding experience for our enjoyment.