# 20 2018 Dev. Eph.3:16. Prayer! Read verses 14-21. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Eph. 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,”
This is Paul’s second prayer for the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (see Dev. # 12, 2018 Dev. Eph.1:17. Prayer!). This prayer points back to what he says before, “for this reason”: verses 10-12 summarized here: His intent through the church is that the wisdom of God should be made known in the Universe: “according to his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” That is the power of prayer; we may seek God at any time, in any situation, and in any condition and He will listen to us! And if we are so overwhelmed that we cannot pray or know not what to pray the Spirit prays for us (Ro. 28:22-27).
This is a prayer every follower of Jesus should be praying for himself as well as for others. We need the power of the Holy Spirit, knowing it and experiencing that power in our hearts. So Paul encourages us: “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Are we able to understand the fullness of God? It is beyond our understanding but not beyond our experience!
By faith we experience forgiveness, we experience God’s love in Christ and in our human relationships extend it to others. We experience God’s grace in a broken world. We experience peace and security knowing that God has chosen us before the foundation of creation. As we journey through our lives on earth we should not underestimate the incredible gift of the love of God in Christ.
Paul ends this chapter with a summary of this prayer we may do well to memorize: 20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Pray and then pray some more! Amen and Amen!
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