Here’s how most of us try to answer the question who am I? — we look inward. We audit ourselves. We replay the failure, take the personality quiz, journal in circles, hoping that if we just think hard enough about ourselves, we’ll finally figure ourselves out.
But you cannot see your own face without a mirror. And Paul knew something we forget: self-knowledge doesn’t come from self-examination. It comes from revelation. So when Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand who they were, he didn’t hand them an exercise in introspection.
He prayed.
The Word
“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” — Ephesians 1:17–19 (ESV)
The Truth
Look at the order of Paul’s prayer. He asks God for one thing first: the knowledge of Him. Everything else — knowing your hope, your inheritance, the power available to you — flows out of that. Paul doesn’t pray “God, help them understand themselves.” He prays “God, show them You“ — because when the eyes of your heart see Christ clearly, you finally see yourself truly.
This is why the devotional you’re reading ends in prayer every single day, and why it’s always a version of this one. We are not trying to learn facts about identity this month. We are asking the Holy Spirit to show us Jesus — and letting who He is redefine who we are.
Notice, too, what Paul doesn’t pray for students of his day: not success, not status, not certainty about the future. He prays they would know Him. Before you ask God for the exam outcome, the study breakthrough, the open door — ask for this. It’s the request He loves to answer.
The Shift
Today’s devotional is shorter on purpose, because today you’re not reading a prayer. You’re praying it.
Root It
Find somewhere you can speak out loud — your car works (I can vouch for the spiritual significance of parking lots). Pray Ephesians 1:17–19 over yourself, slowly, with your own name in it: “Father of glory, give ___ the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You…” Don’t rush it. This is the hinge of the whole month.
After you pray Ephesians 1:17–19 out loud with your name in it, come back and comment simply: “Prayed it.” Then send this to one person and ask them to pray it too — imagine a generation of healthcare students praying this same prayer.