A Study of the Ephesians Prayers by Rick Hansen

“The concept of the universe as a giant hologram containing both matter and consciousness as a single field will, I am sure, excite anyone who has asked the question, ‘What is reality?’ ” Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D.
Webster’s Dictionary –Hologram-a special kind of picture that is produced by a laser and looks three-dimensional.
“In some sense man is a microcosm of the universe; therefore what man is, is a clue to the universe. We are enfolded in the universe. “ David Bohm  
 “As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear-headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about the atoms this much: There is no matter as such! All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together ... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.”  Max Planck , Father of Quantum Physics 
Perception affects biology…..Atoms that are made of energy make up molecules, so molecules are made of energy.  Molecules make up cells and since molecules are made of energy, cells are made of energy. Cells are what the human body is comprised of and as a result the human body is comprised of energy. There is nothing material about the human body. Paraphrase of Dr. Bruce Lipton discussing our physical bodies at their most basic. 
“We human beings consider ourselves to be made up of “solid matter.” Actually , the physical body is the end product, so to speak, of the subtle information fields, which mold our physical body as well as all physical matter. These fields are holograms which change in time (and are) outside the reach of our normal sense. This is what clairvoyants perceive as colorful egg-shaped halos or auras surrounding our physical bodies.” Itzhak Bentov, Stalking the Wild Pendulem
“The material world is created by you through your expectations for it.….. Your expectations are created, unconsciously, by your beliefs….. You can change any belief you choose if you want to align a belief with a desire you have …..If you change a belief, the expectations it unconsciously creates will naturally change too…… Once your expectations change, your material reality will change in accordance. This is how our universe functions, you can depend on that…..I spent the first 40 years of my life thinking that my thoughts were reactions to my life experiences. Funny. Good to know, now, that it’s the other way around.”  A series of quotes from author Greg Kuhn who has written a series on Quantum Physics. 
“Miracles happen, not in opposition to Nature, but in opposition to what we know of Nature.”  St. Augustine. 
“Then there is the further question of what is the relationship of thinking to reality. As careful attention shows, thought itself is in an actual process of movement.”  David Bohm

[Eph 1:17-23 KJV] 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, 19 And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
[Eph 3:16-21 KJV] 
We pray also that you 
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Notice verse 17 says we are asking for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Verse 18 asks that we  may know the hope of his calling (Rom 8:29, Eph 1,4,5,11; 2 Tim 1:9). May I suggest that the word hope is in the Greek elpis, and this is as to pray that we may know the expectation of His call, which is to grow up in to Christ, sharing the character and the power of God in Christ Jesus , fellowship and relationship with God Himself (1 Cor 1:9; 1 John 1:3). In verse 18 we also ask Him to show us how rich is the glorious inheritance in us, His saints. Col 1:29 tells us Christ in You, is the hope or expectation of glory.  Through relationship with Himself, God has qualified us for and given to us an inheritance which includes everything that belongs to Christ, everything that pertains to life and godliness (Rom 8:17;  Col 1:12; II Pet 1:3). 
In verse 19 we are asking to more fully understand the power that is in me and for me is the same power that raised Christ and I from the dead as we see if we read through to Eph 2:6 (1 Peter 3:18). That is resurrection power, and more specifically the life and the power of God by the glory of the Father (Rom 6:4). In verses 22 and 23 we pray that we may realize that Christ is the head over all things, for the benefit of the church, which is his body, that is you and I, we are his body, and what is more, we have been made full and complete by His filling us with Himself.   
In chapter 3, verse 16 Paul prays that we would be strengthened by His Spirit in our inner self. Notice  God is working from the inside out. In verse 17 we asked that  Christ would dwell in our hearts by faith. The Bible is clear that if you are saved He dwells in you, as does the entire Godhead (Col 2:10 AMP), so this would seem to be a prayer to help you believe or trust that salvation for every area of life is in you, and as we will see is a person, not a doctrine. This prayer continues by asking that I would be rooted and grounded in love. 1 John 4:8 & 16 tell me that God is love. This is then as to say rooted and grounded in God. In verse 19 Paul prays that I would come to understand the love of Christ, and as a result become filled with all the fullness of God, and in verse 20 Paul gives praise to God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that I ask or think according to the power that works in me. 
Hopefully it has not been lost on anyone, that Paul, who had opportunity to pray for the entire church for all times in 50 A.D., did not pray for God to do something for us, but to reveal to us what God has already done. 
If you had asked me a year ago why this prayer was so important I would have told you, and I think this is still a correct answer, I am asking God to reveal Himself to me. I am asking that God would help me know more about Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the politically correct response in the church no doubt. Over the last year though, I will admit I have come to progressively understand that the Bible is a book about me and my family heritage, and this prayer for God to reveal who He is helps me to understand my family line. 
Consider Psalm 40:7 quoted in Hebrews 10:7, the volume of the book is about Jesus.  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me, (Psa 40:7 KJV)
John 5:39 tells us the same thing. Jesus speaking says, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
If the Bible is all about Christ, and my life as a result of the new birth is hidden with Christ in God, then the Bible is about my family, the family of God . 
[Gal 2:20 KJV] 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me……. 
Col 1:27 says that the riches of the glory of the mystery among the Gentiles is Christ in you, the hope (expectation) of glory:
Col 3:3 ties Gal 2:20 and Col 1:27 together telling us that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God.
You live in the day Jesus spoke of in his earthly ministry, the day of humanity in union with the life of God. Jesus told His disciples that in this day, the day of the New Covenant, we would know that He was in His Father,  and we in Him,  and He in us (John 14:20). You are in union with the Godhead. 
Union according to Webster’s dictionary is an act of joining two or more things together into one. You and the Godhead are one as a result of the new birth. I repeat, you and God are one. 
This union that has taken place is between God who is Spirit (John 4:24), and your spirit. Remember, you are a spirit, that possesses a soul and lives in a body (1 Thess 5:23). God who is spirit, and you who are spirit, are in union. Two spirits, joined together into one. The person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17 AMP). You and God are one( (S)spirit). 
As a result of this union whatever is in His life is now in your person. Your spirit person which is the real you, and He Who is Spirit person share the same characteristics or nature.  You are a child of God, your nature is that of the divine one because you have been united to that nature through the new birth. 
Paul’s Ephesian prayer is asking God to show you who God is and what is in his nature and character, what makes Him who He is, because that is the life you now share. It is who you are. 
When you received Jesus, you received eternal life, zoe. That is as to say “life without beginning or end, life uncreated, life as God has it” . 
Whatever is in the life of God is now in union with you. Your study of the Bible is now the study of your family line. From Genesis to Revelation when God reveals Himself, He is revealing the life, character and nature of Himself and anyone who is connected to that life through the Son. 
1 Jo 5:11-12 tells us that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that has the Son has life; [and] he that has not the Son of God has not life.
When you received Jesus, you received the life that has no beginning and no end, you received the uncreated life that God Himself has, and everything that is in that life defines who you are in union with God. 
One of the ways to more fully understand the life that is now in you by your connection to the Son is to study the promises of God.  When God makes you a promise, since he can not promise something that is contrary to His person, you get a look in to the very character and nature of God. 
The Bible has promises for healing, peace, provision, comfort, and good things for every area of life. This is because God by His nature is all of these things and more. 
When you received Jesus as your Savior, you who are now in union with the Godhead became one with healing, peace, provision, comfort and  goodness for every area of life.
 2Cor 1:20 tells us that all the promises of God in Jesus are yes, and amen, because when you received Jesus you received the  divine nature, and everything in that nature.  By coming to understand the promises, you come to understand the DNA or the nature, character and composition of the uncreated life of God. In the New Testament the Bible calls this life in the Greek, Zoe.  
2 Pe 1:3-4 says God’s divine power has given us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. By this glory and virtue, descriptive words referring to the nature of God, are given to us exceeding great and precious promises. It is by these promises you are a partakers ( have in common, are a partner ) in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
When you received Jesus, you received all that He had in Him, which we know is the Life of God (John 5:26). Your spirit, and His Spirit are one and you share everything in that divine nature as a companion, partner or  partaker. You became an active participant in the life of God. He has shared that life with you. In that life is salvation for every area of life. As you consider a promise for healing (1 Peter 2:24), consider that by that promise you did not just get healed, you received healing as your very nature when you entered in to union with He who is salvation from sickness. He is healing, and you are healing because of your union with Him.  Find a promise and consider that promise as an attribute of the life of God that you are in union with. His life is your life because you are one with Him. Because you share His life you share in the life that is salvation for every challenge in life.  
Another way to understand the nature and character of God, and that of his children is to study the names of God. In Bible times, a name was not only an identification but an identity. The names God chose to reveal Himself to us reveal the character, personality  and nature of God. They reveal what is in the life of God that you are in union with.  
Jehovah Tsidkenu (Jer 23:6) for example is translated as “The Existing One” or “Lord” has the chief meaning of Jehovah derived from the Hebrew word Havah meaning “to be” and  Tsedek , from which Tsidkenu comes meaning  “to be stiff,” “to be straight,” or “righteous.” When the two words are combined it can be translated  “The Lord who is our righteousness.” 
The New Testament confirms that God because of our union with His life, has become our righteousness. In 2 Cor 5:21 we see God made Jesus [to be] sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Notice the righteousness we have become is the only righteousness God could offer us when He shared His life with us. We are the righteousness of God.  
El Shaddai is a name through which God revealed Himself to Abraham  in Gen 17:1 as the All-Sufficient One, Lord God Almighty. In that passage the Lord said to Abraham if you walk before me you will be  blameless, wholehearted and complete ( AMP). This same thought appears in Gen 28:3 where God again identifies Himself as the All Sufficient One, Lord God Almighty and tells His covenant people He will bless them, and make them fruitful, and multiply them. This is the nature of God revealed in the name El Shaddai. God who by His very nature is our sustainer, nourishment, supply and blessing,  has joined His nature to our nature. Our union with Him means we look inside us to the life we share with Him for our complete provision. 
Eph 1:3 (Phillips) For giving us through Christ every possible spiritual benefit as citizens of heaven. 
The spiritual (invisible)  blessings  that have been given to us are those appropriate for citizens of heaven.  I received them because I am in union with Christ.  Blessing is my very nature because blessing is God’s nature, and I am one with Him through Christ. 
Consider Genesis 1:1 for a moment. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Before God created heaven and earth, it was only God. Everything that is in heaven and earth was created by God by releasing what is in Him, in His uncreated life,  to create everything that exists. Earth of course has never been seen by us without curse, but consider that the life that created heaven and earth in all their speldor, is in YOU. 
You that are joined to the Lord are one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17)
Contemplate the wealth that is in you, because you have the life of God. I am not just to have wealth and abundant provision (2 Cor 8:9). I am abundant provision by my union with He Who is Abundant Provision. Meditate on this, For as you think in your heart, so are you (Pro 23:7). 
As I have spent time on who I am in Christ, I have come to the conclusion that I have not just been abundantly blessed to be a blessing, I am an abundant blessing to be a blessing, because I am joined to He who is all things that are good. 
The name of God, Jehovah Raah, The Lord my Shepherd shows us God is a Shepherd, one who feeds or leads his flock to pasture (Eze 34:11-19). An extended translation of this word , rea’, is friend or companion. This indicates the intimacy God desires between Himself and His people. When the two words are combined Jehovah Raah, it can be translated the Lord my Friend, and speaks of His feeding and leading to pasture. When I consider that I am joined to He who is Jehovah Raah, I was reminded of Pro 18:24 which says  “there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”  The Lord is my friend, and He is closer than a brother, two have become one, that is union. 
Jehovah Raah can be found in Gen 48:15 also and speaks of God blessing Joseph. In that passage Joseph said of God He fed me all my life long unto this day. The 23 Psalm, verse 1 tells the same story and taken from the Septuagint says, The Lord tends me, and not one thing lacks for me. 
Col 2:9-10 (AMP) points out clearly that you do not lack in your union with God, It says,  In Christ the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you [a]are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature].
You are filled with the Godhead. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that the power and provision comes from within as He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Jehovan Rapha, the Lord who heals is the name of God He chose to reveal to us that He is the restorer and healer, He makes healthful.  Again, a name is not only an identification but an identity. God’s names reveal the central personality and the nature of the one who bears them and whose life you share. In Jehovah Rapha , we find a God whose very nature is healing, and in your union with Him your nature is healing. As we look at the following passages, notice healing was not ministered it was a result of the life that is in Christ being made available.   
In Mark 5:28-29 we see the woman with the issue of blood say, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in [her] body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes
Jesus knew power had been withdrawn from His person, but He did not minister it in the traditional sense. The woman with a need made a withdrawal from the life of God in Christ.    
In Acts 5:15 we see sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.
Sick people were apparently laid in the streets not for Peter to minister to, but so that the life of God in Peter could come into close enough proximity that they would be healed. I am not saying do not lay hands on people, but in the same manner when we come into contact with someone who has a need that the life of Jehovah Rapha (Ex 15:26) can minister to, do not beg Him to send healing. Just agree that the Lord that heals is one spirit with us and we are here to do what He would have done, meet a need . 
We are learning to trust that the life that is in us, the life that we are joined to, the life that we possess contains everything He is, and we are learning to release that life into circumstances we encounter. Remember, God held nothing back when He gave us Christ, He gave us all (Rom 5:7-9; 8:32). We are a container (2 Cor 4:7) of THE LIFE of God and one of the attributes of that life is healing. You by your connection to that life have become healing for yourself and others. It is your very nature. Psalm 107:20 says, He sent his word, and healed them. Through the new birth He sent His Word Jesus to bring you in to the divine life and everything that is in that life. If he has already given you all things when He gave you Jesus who is the Word, then He gave you healing because it is who he is and he gave you his life.   He supplied  all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19), Christ in you is the hope (expectation)  of glory (Col 1:27).
The name Jehovah Jireh means the Lord will provide and was a symbolic name given on Mount Moriah by Abraham to memorialize the intercession of God in the sacrifice of Isaac by providing a substitute for the imminent sacrifice of his son (Gen 22:14). As we consider this name, consider THE substitution that took place on the cross. The Lord provided what He had, the uncreated eternal life of God, zoe in the Greek, along with everything that is that life, in exchange for what we had in Adam. Life and blessing was exchanged for death and cursing. Cursing is a manifestation of death in its many forms, blessing a manifestation of the life of God that is in you now as a result of the new birth. I do not have to believe for blessing, it is a consequence of coming to understand who I am in Him. 
Jehovah Shalom ( Judges 6:24) means the Lord is peace and speaks of the Lord who reveals himself unceasingly as peace. It would be as to say the Lord who reveals Himself as completeness, , safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment and  friendship in every area has through Christ become one with me. Two spirit beings have become one. I am peace because I am united to He who is peace.  Shalom. 
According to Acts 10:36 peace comes by Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. Galatians 4:1 tells you that as you the heir start to understand what you have received, you  will understand you are lord of all, small l.  
After all of this you say to me Rick, there are needs I have that the names you have shown us today do not seem to address, and that may well be. But in the word of God you have the historical account of your family line to review for yourself. With just a few minutes a day you can come to understand the magnificent family from which you come by studying the promises and the nature of He Who is in union with you. One last Old Testament name I wanted to look at is from Exodus 3:14. 
Borrowing from a commentary by CH MacKintosh we find 
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."The title which God here gives Himself is one of wondrous significancy. In tracing through Scripture the various names which God takes, we find them intimately connected with the varied need of those with whom He was in relation. "Jehovah-jireh," (the Lord will provide.) "Jehovah-nissi," (the Lord my banner.) "Jehovah-shalom," (the Lord send peace.) "Jehovah-tsidkenu," (the Lord our righteousness.) All these His gracious titles are unfolded to meet the necessities of His people; and when He calls Himself "I AM," it comprehends them all. Jehovah, in taking this title, was furnishing His people with a blank cheque, to be filled up to any amount. He calls Himself "I AM," and faith has but to write over against that ineffably precious name whatever we want. God is the only significant figure, and human need may add the ciphers. If we want life, Christ says, "I AM the life." If we want righteousness, He is "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." If we want peace, "He is our peace" If we want wisdom, sanctification, and redemption," He "is made" all these "unto us." In a word, we may travel through the wide range of human necessity, in order to have a just conception of the amazing depth and fullness of this profound and adorable name, "I AM." 
You are in union with Jesus. You are one spirit with I AM. You and he have become one, that is what union means. What He is , you are because of your union with Him.
Here is a positive confession for you, In Him , I AM. 
The life of God, eternal life, zoe, is everything you could ever need, and you are in union or one with that life. 
If I died when he died (Rom 6:3-4),If I was raised when he was raised (Eph 2:5-6),If He took what I had so I can have what He had (2 Cor 5:21). I need to know more about what Jesus had. I need to know more about the life of God, in Christ Jesus.  
When you were born again 
You became one with El Olam, the Everlasting God, you became one with eternal life.  
You became one with Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. You are righteous.  
You became one with Jehovah Mekoddishkem, the Lord Who Sanctifies. You are holy and set apart.   
You became one with Jehovah Rapha, the Lord That Heals. You are healing because He is healing.
You became one with Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Will Provide. You are a blessing though your union with He who is the blessing. 
You became one with Jehovah Shalom, the Lord Is Peace. You are completeness , safety, soundness , welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment in every area of life. This is who you are in Him because you and God became one.  
You are not believing for these things, they are your very nature. You do not have to believe to receive, you are because you were born this way when you were born again. Read about your family lineage to understand more about who God says you are. Look at the life of Christ to see how He released the life of God. You are who God says you are in union with Him through Christ. You can do what He says you can do as exemplified by the life of Christ (Eph 5:1; 1 John 2:6).  
If God has not already given us what we need for the situations we face. If there is something He has held back that we need to believe to receive, then we have a problem because He has nothing more He can give. He gave you all He has which is His very life (John 3:16).
Colossians 2:9-10 Living Bible (TLB) 9 For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; 10 so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ.….
*Jesus has no better righteousness, standing, or access to the Father’s power or provision than we do, because His standing, His righteousness, and His access are ours through our union. You have God’s ability because you have His life and nature in you.
Believers have peace, have freedom from poverty and full provision, have life, because they are born again. Believers are healed, are accepted, are glorified, are righteous, are blessed,   because they are born of God. Stop trying to take by faith what you already possess by birth.
I do not have righteousness, healing, provision, etc because I believe I have them, I have them because I was born of god and these are attributes of my Father that I share in union with Him. 
Let us agree with God about what we are and what we have through the new birth, despite what we see or feel, and the Holy Spirit will make God’s word good in our experience.
2 Corinthians 3:18 Amplified Bible (AMP) says,  as we continue to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
The Spirit of God will cause that unseen, spiritual reality inside of us to change the seen physical body, circumstances, and world in which we live.
This is the process in which we glorify God. As we receive increased revelation of how glorious God is, as we acknowledge what He says we are in Him, we will see the manifestation of all that He says we are in Him. 
Agreeing with God about your union with His life is what Philemon 1:6 is all about. It says…
And I pray that your participation may become effectual, as you come to acknowledge every good thing which is in you to Christ. (Montgomery)
The participation in the life you possess will become effective as we acknowledge who and what is in us -- the person of God, the power of God, the provision of God,  the life of God is your life in union with Him.
Remember how the saving work of Christ on the Cross became effective in you – someone shared the gospel with you, you believed and spoke the facts of the gospel, you acknowledged what God had done for you and you were saved. This process is to continue after you are born again. Confession or agreement with God, saying the same thing as God says is made unto strength, unto healing, unto victory, unto guidance, and unto everything else the Cross has provided to you in the life of God. 
God has already fully provided everything for us through the Cross -- but how much we     experience of that provision in this life depends on whether we are going to agree with Him in what He says He accomplished in us at the new birth when he gave us His life, and everything that life possesses. 
Let us stop limiting ourselves today by the way we identify ourselves  The self identification can be subtle such as I am only this or I am only that ..... From this day forward let us be aware of what we tie our I am to.  This is the powerful tool of calling the creative process in to flow. (paraphrase of  David Allen)
From this day forward let us identify our I am by what we are in Him. 
Amen. 
*From the asterisk down I borrowed heavily from Diane Kannady , www.riches inchrist.com