From prison, Paul has written of the amazing spiritual blessings that we have in Christ Jesus. God is a gracious God who blesses us with so much. My heart rejoices from what I read. For you see, it tells of something beyond the four walls of isolation and the constant of chronic illness and disability. Paul is grateful and praising our Lord from the prison cell as he writes to the saints living in Ephesus, a large city that was not known for its godliness. Those verses telling of our spiritual blessings truly touched my heart. They bring joy and hope in the midst of isolation.

In Ephesians 1:15-16, Paul now goes on to explain why he is giving thanks continuously for these people. He, in prison, has heard of the faith of these dear people and the love that they have for all saints. These Ephesian believers had a reputation. They were known by their faith and love.

This made me pause there for a moment. How are we (am I) as isolated, chronically ill, disabled people known? This struck me. Am I known for complaining about my lot in life, being needy (not in need, but needy, there is a difference), worried all the time, selfish? Or, am I known for faith in the midst of fear, loving others as much as I can? What is my reputation for Christ? Do people see me, my disability, or Christ first?

These people in Ephesus had a reputation. They had faith. They loved. This reputation caused Paul to give thanks for them and to never stop giving thanks to them.

Also notice that he prayed for them. He remembered them in prayer. This tells me a couple things. Paul prayed. You say, “Duh, of course Paul prayed.” Yes, it may seem as if that is a given, but it is so easy to be distracted. I mean, Paul was a busy man. He was always preaching, teaching, and writing letters as well as stirring up trouble simply by following Christ.

Then, you may say, “But he was in prison and had time on his hands. Of course he used that time praying.”

True. What about us? We are isolated. Could God have called us to use that time in prayer? Think about that. Now, granted, I understand that sometimes just what I call “survival tasks” can take a long time. However, could we use our time in prayer rather than moping, complaining, or simply wasting time? There are so many needs, especially in today’s world. What if we adopted a church or missionary or shut-in to pray for them? How could God use us to change the world?

Two short verses. Yet, so powerful to me as we look at them. We see God working through both Paul and these dear saints. It was a shared relationship of faith in Christ and of love for people.

I look forward to learning more tomorrow as we continue to see what Paul prayed!