Relentless. Betsy was absolutely relentless. This little girl had in her mind that if she kept asking, the answer would eventually be the one she hoped for. You either have a child like that in your class, remember a child like Betsy, have a Betsy in your family, or may even have been that child.

Today’s reading is a prayer, spoken by the apostle Paul, for the people in Ephesus. It’s clear how much he cared for them. Did you notice how he started this part of the prayer—“I keep asking that God the Father…” ? He keeps going to God the Father in prayer on their behalf. He knew them well including their strengths, their opportunities, and their challenges. In verse 15 he mentions their “love for all the saints.” It sounds like they were a caring congregation watching out for one another. Paul’s prayer for them focuses on a couple of key areas:

• The Spirit of wisdom and revelation: Paul wants them to know more and more about God which will lead to growth in faith.
• That the eyes of [their] heart may be enlightened: Paul wants them to know as much as possible about God and his Word. Why? Paul gave three reasons:
  • So that they can understand the hope to which God has called [them]. That hope is not a wish but the assurance that grace is theirs.
  • So that they know the riches of his glorious inheritance: Heaven is theirs through faith. They can’t do anything to earn it. It’s a gift from God.
  • So that they can know of his incomparably great power for all who believe. God’s power is above anything we can imagine. This is God who created all things and through Jesus, provided relief from sin and the peace of heaven.

Paul’s prayer is that the people of Ephesus never waiver from the faith they have. That, my friends, is our prayer for each other as well. As you wrap up this year, remember your colleagues who serve within your own ministry and those who serve in other early childhood ministries. Like Paul, we can go back and back, asking the Lord to keep each other strong in the faith, growing in the Word, confident in God’s grace for us, and filled with awe of God’s power.

Like Betsy, let’s be relentless when we go to God in prayer on behalf of each other. May each of us be an encouragement for one another and a reflection of God’s grace for us.