Ephesians 1:17-18 - 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Paul's letter to the Ephesians is different compared to many of the other New Testament letters he wrote. Like Romans, Ephesians was not written so much to address problems in a particular church; more so, it was written to explain some of the great themes and doctrines of Christianity. If the Letter to the Romans focuses more on God's work in the individual Christian, Ephesians includes the great themes of God's work in the church, the community of believers. The hope of His calling has its perspective on the future. The believer has a glorious future of resurrection, eternal life, freedom from sin, perfected justification, and glorious elevation above the angels themselves.

In verse 17, Paul prayed that the Father would grant the Ephesians the spirit of wisdom and that He would give them revelation. But these are not so they may see into the lives of others, have the ability to predict events, or do what we commonly think of as "prophet stuff." He wanted them to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation simply so that they would have a better knowledge of Him (God). Our Christian life must be centered around this purpose - to know God as He is in truth, as revealed by His Word, and to correct our false, idolatrous ideas of who God is. It is important for us to have an accurate knowledge and understanding of who we are. Yet it is far more important (and beneficial) for us to know and understand who God is.

In verse 18, Paul wanted them to know this, few things give us a more secure and enduring hope in life than simply knowing that God has called us and has a specific calling for us to fulfill. Paul wanted them to know the greatness of God's inheritance in His people. We usually think only of our inheritance in God, but Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand that they are so precious to God that He considered them His own inheritance.