Deeper Reflection
Biblical Theologian Don Carson calls the Apostle Paul’s prayer in verses 15 to 23 “a model of how to pray under the sovereignty of God”⁴. It is important to realise that the prayer flows forth from the praise in verses 3 to 14. Paul’s premise is simple: God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. But God has not blessed us merely for our own benefit, nor merely that we would be a blessing (although these are both right and good). God has blessed us to the praise of His glory (vv.6, 12, 14)!At the beginning, centre and end of all history and destiny is doxology. Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Conversion is not the end goal; worship is. Adoring praise offered up wholeheartedly, joyfully and perseveringly, by a mature people of God formed in Christ as His eternal possession, His spotless bride, the body for which Christ is the head. A people for whom God has exerted His incomparably great power with which He also raised Christ from the dead (vv.19-20).The convergence of history and destiny is seen in verse 10. On Thursday, we saw how God sent Jesus Christ in the fullness of time. Here in verse 10, we see that there is another time that God has predetermined. A time when everything will reach their fulfilment, bringing unity to “all things” in heaven and on earth under God’s Messiah, to the praise of God’s glory!Let these truths ring in your heart as you listen to this song by Bob Kauflin and Tim Chester of Sovereign Grace MusicClick this to listen to the song.

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⁴ D.A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, 2nd Edition (Baker Academic, 2014), 147.