1For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, 2if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you, 3how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words, 4by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ, 5which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, 6that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News, 7of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. 8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, 10to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, 11according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him. 13Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
14For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Paul's Prayer for You
14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Paul makes a prayer for the church in Ephesus. I like to think that he prayed this not only for the believers in Ephesus, but also for each and every one of us who would eventually come to faith in Christ. He asks God to strengthen us richly in our inner person with all of His riches. What does this really mean? It means that each of us has an inner person within us. That’s the real you. It’s your soul. It will live from now until forever. Your soul and your spirit will go to be with the Lord when you take your last breath on earth. But while here, you can receive the initial deposit, the Holy Spirit, and many of the riches that are yours. When you chose Jesus, you became a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), and you received the Holy Spirit along with all of the promises of God. Paul says it right there. “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Just think about that. The very God who created you now dwells in your heart through faith. And what does this do for you?
It roots you and grounds you like a tiny acorn in good soil. And then that acorn grows into a great tree as you are “strengthened through His Spirit.” It is in growing in Him that you become alive, awake, and aware. You become alive because you were once dead. You wake up because you were once asleep. You become aware that God’s love is higher, deeper, wider, and longer than you could ever imagine. That is the fullness of God. Pause today as you read this, and pray a prayer of obedience and submission so that you might experience this. You might say something like, “Lord Jesus, you are my Lord and my God. You are the lover of my soul. You love me more than I can understand or comprehend. Remove my own desires today and fill my heart and soul with your plans and desires for me. Strengthen my inner man because I am weak and helpless without your indwelling strength. Lord, I ask you to fill me with the fullness of Yourself. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.” Rest for a moment. Thank Him for hearing you. Go live this day out as He directs for His glory. “What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”