121 Days of Prayer

He Heard Inexpressible Things, Things That Man is Not Permitted to Tell

The purposes of this prayer are: Humility, Illumination, Confidence/Hope and Spreading of the Word.

Lord of Creation, in his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul warned his flock to be careful not to be led astray from the truth that he had taught them about Jesus by false prophets that came to them after Paul left them. After warning them about false gospels, Paul then reminded them of his evangelistic credentials, including the times he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned and flogged- all because of his God-given mission of telling the good news about Jesus first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (2 Corinthians 11:21–33). Paul then wrote about a vision that you gave him, saying, “I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know- God knows. And I know that this man- whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows- was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me that is warranted by what I do or say.” 2 Corinthians 12:1–6 (NIV). Gracious Lord, Christians today are so fortunate to have the New Testament inform our faith in Jesus. Paul’s letters compose a substantial part of the New Testament, and we are grateful for his teachings, his insights, his visions and his steely determination to get the truth of salvation through your Son to so many people. He is the ideal example of a disciple of Christ and an evangelist. We thank you for your Bible, the basis of our faith. Amen.