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I think the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3:14-21 is for us.
How do I know this? Paul prays…
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name (vv. 14-15, NASB1995).
Every family, every relationship, every people, and every nation – all who have received a name from God.
Fascinating thought, that God not only knew us, but our father and mother, also grandfather and grandmother, great-grandfather and great-grandmother, and back and back through time.
The implication of a God who has foreknowledge is that before birth, He knew us and those before us!
We can have confidence that God understands everything happening to us.
Paul then asks three things for us…
- That we would be strengthened with power (v. 16)
- That Christ would dwell within us through faith (v. 17)
- That we would be rooted and grounded in love (v. 17)
If I prayed specifically for you, my prayer would contain elements of needed power, that you would have faith instead of doubt and discouragement, and that your relationships would be grounded in self-sacrifice and not self-serving.
Paul knew exactly how to pray for us.
After asking for us to be renewed and empowered, Paul asks that we have a revelation of our relationship with God and His ways in our lives.
- May be able to comprehend (v. 18)
- Know the love of God that surpasses knowledge (v. 19)
- Filled with the fullness of God (v. 19)
Defeat grows from a lack of trust. We don’t understand why things happened. We get shaky because a situation turned out worse than we thought, and we hesitate in doubt. We get stuck and don’t move forward in faith.
I write Paul’s prayer in my words…
I know that you don’t understand, but I pray that you will comprehend and experience God’s love which surpasses mere knowledge. From this faith, you will be filled with the presence of God. God, often, doesn’t give us understanding but gives us peace through His supernatural presence!
I’ve asked people in distress, “Would you rather completely understand love or experience it?” In this prayer, Paul explains that our comprehension comes from trusting that God is working all things to the good and that His presence will give us peace.
Paul ends this prayer with the amazing phrase…
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us (v. 20).
In our dark times, God has not abandoned us. He is working and preparing us for His works. We will see what we could not have imagined.
Note: Through the power that works within us!
Never lose faith; all things are possible! That’s Paul prayer for us.