Daily Devotional Thursday 24th September 2020
by William MoodyEphesians 3:14–21
Prayer for Spiritual Strength
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family1 in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Footnotes
[1] 3:15
Or from whom all fatherhood; the Greek word patria in verse 15 is closely related to the word for Father in verse 14 (ESV)
Paul turns to prayer for the Ephesians. He prays for them to be strengthened in their inner being (v16). In our praying this should be a priority. So often our praying can be focused on our physical needs or on the circumstances of our lives, God’s priority for us is inward strength that enables spiritual growth.
Paul wants inward strength so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith (v17), Paul is writing this to Christians who already have Christ dwelling within through the Spirit so what does he mean? The answer has to be that he is praying for them to have a deeper and richer experience of Christ.
Our passion should be to know and experience Christ more and more in our Christian lives. This is what the Holy Spirit enables.
Paul has finished yet, he prays that then these people will come to grasp something of the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ’s love (v18-19).
Paul is wanting these people to swim in the depths of this love, he wants them to be consumed by this love that surpasses knowledge.
As Paul prays this he wants the Ephesians to be expectant for an answer because God is able to do abundantly more than what we ask or think through His power that works within the believer (v20-21).
Are you settled with where you are as a Christian or do you have a longing to go deeper and deeper in your knowledge and experience of Christ?
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