Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writing by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him – to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
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What a glorious ending to this letter! The crescendo builds, in triumph and wonder.
(1) Our sights are lifted to the One who is due all our attention. “Now to him … to the only wise God.” What better place to leave us? Isn’t this where we want to begin and end each day?
O Lord, may it be so.
(2) “… who is able to establish you …” The One we focus on is the One who has power and ability to keep us rooted and grounded. Or, as the lexicon puts it, overlapping phrase upon phrase: “to make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix; to render constant.” This is what I want and need!
O Lord, cause my feet to stand firm.
(3) “… by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ …” We discover again that everything is focused on Jesus. He is the heart of the gospel, the great Good News. He is the One whose proclamation has so opened our eyes and enlivened our hearts and rescued us from sin and death. He is the centre of it all.
O Lord Jesus, may I ever more be riveted with the sighting of you.
(4) “… according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past …” All along, the Lord God had in mind that we would be rescued by Jesus. His death on the cross was the price the Lord chose to pay, from the very beginning – he is “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev 13:8). Not only so, but we ourselves were embraced in this plan before we every came into existence – we were chosen “in him before the creation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
O Sovereign Lord, thank you that your plan in Jesus predates everything.
(5) “… made known through the prophetic writings …” Although it was veiled, the Lord communicated glimpses of the Gospel to his prophets right down the years. Such revelation prepares us. It builds foundation. Paul affirms it at the beginning of his letter (1:2, 3:21), and now here at the end. This was God’s plan all along! The prophets have spoken it.
O Lord, thank you for revealing your purposes so we could see.
(6) “… so that all nations might believe and obey him …” In a day and age when the poison of racism is being laid bare, the Lord affirms that his heart is to embrace every race, every nation, every colour, every tongue. His intent is that each person, regardless of ethnicity, might find salvation in Jesus.
O Lord God, ruler of the nations, may it be so.
(7) “To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ.” This is the goal. This is the focus. That in everything Jesus might have the supremacy (Col 1:18).
O Lord Jesus, cause my eyes to be on you.
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Pray:
Take one line or phrase or portion of this prayer. Memorize it (or put it in your phone or write it on a slip of paper). Pray it all day.
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Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash
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