"For this reason I kneel before the Father…"
Ephesians 3:14
Ephesians 3:14-21 is the Apostle Paul’s heartfelt prayer for the people of the church in Ephesus. The reason Paul knelt before God was for the people of Ephesus
- to be strengthened in their inner beings by God’s Spirit,
- that Christ will dwell within their hearts as they are being rooted and grounded in love, and
- that they may have the power to comprehend the immensity of God’s love and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.
While this prayer of Paul’s was originally for the Ephesians, it is a powerful prayer for all of us—that we would be strengthened in our inner being as Christ dwells in our hearts, that we begin to comprehend the immensity of God’s love and to receive His love that surpasses knowledge, and that we would be filled to the fullness of God.
What might the God who can do more than we can ask or imagine do in and through us as we prayer this prayer for ourselves and each other?!
We invite you to commit to praying this prayer over our church family at ECC – for our pastors, leaders, congregation – for all of us!
It will be exciting to see what God does in and through us as we pray this prayer for one another, together!
Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth,
I pray that out of your glorious riches You may strengthen us with power through your Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to You who are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to your power that is at work within us, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
-adapted from Ephesians 3:14-21
(Originally we invited a commitment to pray this prayer during Fall 2021, yet it continues to be a beautiful prayer to pray. A printed version of the prayer is available at ECC.)