Imagine you're on a camping trip. You and your family have settled into your campsite, enjoyed a delicious meal, and roasted marshmallows around the fire. Now, feeling the need to walk off some of those extra calories, you decide to take a short sunset stroll along a nearby trail.
At first, everything seems fine… You’re soaking in the scenery, enjoying the quiet. But after a while, something feels off. You haven’t seen a trail marker in some time, and the path ahead looks less maintained than before. You pull out your phone, but there’s no signal. As the sun sinks lower, a feeling of unease creeps in. You’re lost. With no other option, you stop and pray. You ask God for help, for guidance, for safety. And then, out of nowhere, you remember something you read years ago: flowing water often leads to civilization. You pause, listen closely, and hear a stream nearby. Suddenly, an image of the park’s map flashes in your mind. If you follow the stream, you’ll find your way back.
Life can feel a lot like that moment of being lost. We all go through seasons of confusion, doubt, or struggle. Whether it’s wrestling with depression, feeling directionless, or even reading a passage of Scripture we just don’t understand.
In Ephesians 1:16-17, Paul shares his prayer for the believers in Ephesus:
"I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and revelation so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.”
So, what exactly does that mean?
Think back to our lost camper. Revelation is that moment when something suddenly clicks. When a passage of Scripture that once seemed confusing now makes sense, or when a truth you heard years ago surfaces at just the right moment. It’s when God gives you fresh insight.
But revelation alone isn’t enough. If you realized the stream could lead you back to camp but never actually followed it, you’d still be lost. That’s where wisdom comes in. Wisdom is knowing how to apply what God has revealed. It’s not just understanding truth… it’s living it out.
Paul’s prayer is one we should echo in our own lives, that God would open our eyes to see His truth and give us the wisdom to walk it out. Let’s commit to praying this, not just for ourselves, but for others as well. Because as we grow in our understanding of God, we will also grow in our ability to follow Him, trust Him, and live out His purpose for our lives.