Praying for Hope

How are you doing? I have been struggling a bit; I admit to feeling somewhat overwhelmed. My work can be a challenge as "contact with people" has been off the agenda for six months. While I have loved the opportunity to connect with my neighbors, I have missed my church connections. What will winter be like in the midst of COVID-19?

In this season (and always) there is an opportunity to seek God, perhaps in a deeper way, and to invite others into that place as well. I am encouraged by the prayers of Paul in Ephesians. 

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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.
—Ephesians 1:16-19     

Have you noticed that Paul’s prayers don’t contain long lists of physical concerns? His prayer is that we simply might know God better. He prays for wisdom and revelation, not to discern the best plans for our work or ministry, not to discern next steps for career or life partner, not to discern how to deal with problems and challenges. Paul asks for a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we might know God better. 

He also prays that we might know the hope to which God has called us. Do you have hope during this time? It seems that the hope Paul is speaking of here is connected to community, and to God’s power that is available to us. Community is hard during this season, but it still exists. We give hope to one another as we connect, on front porches, by phone and email, over Zoom. We can pray for one another, as Paul so beautifully models, and we can offer hope every time we connect. We can point people to the hope we have in Jesus.

Coffee Break is a ministry of relationship. We grow in our relationship with Jesus; we do it through our relationship with each other as we study God’s Word. We invite others into a relationship with Jesus. And we pray, for everyone to know God better, and to know the hope to which He has called us.

I invite you to use the words of Paul as you pray for family and friends, as you pray for your Coffee Break group or other ministry that you serve. Consider other prayers of Paul: Eph. 3:14-21, Phil 1:9-11 and Col. 1:9-12a. 

How about you? Is there a prayer from scripture that you can share?