…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

                                                                                                         Ephesians 3:16-19 

A powerful resource that I have discovered in my Christian life is the praying of scripture. Think for a moment about your prayer life. Do you pray silently or out loud? Do you have a designated time that you pray or do you talk to God all day long? What do you say when talking to God? Do you spend most of your time asking Him for things? Regardless of where you find yourself in the area of prayer, I would like to encourage you to try something. Begin to pray the word of God (the Bible) back to God in prayer and you can begin with today’s passage. Certainly we are to pray to God about everything from the greatest concern to the smallest detail of our lives (Philippians 4:6-7), however the one time we can know that we are on track in our praying is when we aren’t praying our thoughts rather we are focused on His. Here is the way that Paul prayed for those first century believers.

(1) Praying For Spiritual Strength

Spiritual strength is something that we need every moment of every day. This strength that Paul mentions is directly given by the Spirit of God and it is acquired in the heart of the inner man. You’ve met these people haven’t you? It matters not what world events are taking place or what is the latest news report, these people live in the silent, spiritual strength of God and have an incredible ability to meet the day with confidence and security. Their strength literally comes from God. As Christians, we need to pray for this strength because it will serve to keep us on course with what God has called us to do. This strength is imperative when we fail. Often when we fall due to the tugging and pulling of the world on our lives, we can begin to believe that we are less than the very loved, adopted, and redeemed individuals that we are in Christ. This is a weapon in the arsenal of the enemy; to convince you that you are spiritually less than you are. When you fail in some way (be it large or small), imagine it to be like falling into a pit. When this happens, do you picture Jesus standing at the top of the pit looking down with disgust, waving His index finger as if to say, “Shame on you”? Do you imagine Jesus, with arms crossed, looking at you with consternation? Or do you see the eyes of a loving Savior reaching down to lend you hand and to help you from the pit? Spiritual strength allows us to understand the reality of the latter example, effectively silencing our accuser, and authorizing us to boldly receive the love and assistance that Christ offers. This is the reality of spiritual strength.

(2) Praying For Greater Faith

The second request is actually linked to the first, “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” I believe that this is an important connection. Our faith will be dictated by the amount of spiritual strength that we are experiencing at any given moment. Isn’t it true that although we have trusted Christ by faith for our salvation, day-to-day faith can take a beating, creating a situation in which we can see our faith ebb and flow? This is not uncommon at all since we live in an imperfect and fallen world. But taking the two phrases together as a whole, we see that spiritual strength from God allows Christ to live in our hearts by faith. It’s not as if Christ is hopping in and out of our hearts at any given moment, He is always present in the life of a believer, however, we may not feel like He is always close. Why? The ebb and flow of our faith causes this misconception. Some might not like to admit the reality of this faith phenomenon, believing that it would make them seem like second rate Christians, but the reality is that all of us, at one time or another, will struggle with faith. We are told that faith, like strength, is a vital part of our battle gear when it comes to standing in the victory of the cross. Our faith actually acts like a shield and can extinguish every attempt of the enemy to bring us down (Ephesians 6:16). So inner, spiritual strength and the presence of Jesus in our hearts through faith act in tandem to bring us tremendous weapons of spiritual warfare, allowing us to stand against the efforts of the enemy.

(3) Praying For Love As The Foundation For Life

In addition to these weapons of spiritual warfare is the expectation that Christians will conduct themselves in love. To be rooted and grounded in love is to suggest that the very foundation of our existence is that of perfect, godly love. I have discovered that the absence of this love in the lives of professing believers can stem from either faulty thinking or a lack of personally experiencing God’s love (which will be covered in the next point). I can’t even begin to count how many times I have heard believers use condescending, insulting language when discussing the behavior and ideas of others, even when they have legitimate points to make. When we enter into a discussion about “the other side” of an issue and lead with rude and discourteous language, it’s no wonder we fail to make our point. Once we demonstrate our disdain for others, we have already lost the battle, having surrendered our authority. Are there spiritually blind people in our world? Of course there are and if it were not by the grace of God we would be counted among them. We should be concerned for these people, constantly praying on their behalf. There is never a good time to exercise spiritual arrogance. Winning the hearts and souls of others through the gospel requires that we share the good news with great care, concern, and courtesy (1 Peter 3:15). It is the Christian who continues to be rooted and grounded in love that will make the greatest impact for the kingdom of God.

(4) Praying For Intimate Knowledge Of Christ’s Love

At first glance, the phrase, “to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” may seem like an oxymoron. But a closer look at the original language used and you will discover that Paul is making a powerful declaration. The term “to know” is used when referring to a personal, intimate experience. “Surpassing knowledge”, means that this personal knowledge of the love of Christ is not something you can acquire simply by academic study. Many will study the Bible and even draw their own conclusions about various passages, but it is the believer who personally knows Jesus who will shine as an authentic, effective follower of Christ. Our Christian life shouldn’t be merely intellectual knowledge about God but rather a living, breathing, daily experience with God through Jesus Christ. Earlier I mentioned that some of the loveless behavior found in the church could stem from faulty thinking or a lack of personally experiencing the love of God. It only stands to reason that we are not able to accurately convey something to someone else that we ourselves have not experienced. What Paul is praying for these early believers is that they will have an intimate, personal knowledge of the love of Christ, something that cannot be obtained through intellectual study alone. I see a pattern developing in this prayer. Spiritual strength leads to a greater faith. Spiritual strength, coupled with a greater faith and an intimate knowledge of God’s love for us, will produce a life that is rooted and grounded in love, making us highly effective for the kingdom of God. This is something that mere religion will fail to produce since religion’s foundation is on our actions rather than God’s. Are you intimately enjoying the love of Christ in your life? I sure hope so!

(5) Praying To Live In The Fullness Of God

Finally, Paul expresses the goal of the Christian life, “to be filled up to all the fullness of God.” To be “filled up” can be defined as to make full, to cause to abound, and to supply liberally. The term “fullness” is similar and can be defined as an abundance, to be filled with the presence, power, and riches of God and Christ. We see similar language from Jesus when He tells His hearers that He has come to give us life abundantly (John 10:10). This type of life is one that is over and above. It is a life that is superior, extraordinary, and uncommon. No wonder that Christians are to stand out in the crowd. This language is also used in describing the grace of God as super exceeding, over exceeding, and overflowing (Romans 5:20). All who call on the name of Jesus can experience this fullness in Christ (Romans 10:12). In light of all of this language found in scripture, I can’t help but ask the question, “Why do we so often live lives that are so far below the descriptions found in God’s word?” Regardless of why we do, I believe that the reality of anemic, spiritual lives only reinforces the need of us to pray like Paul and begin to ask for the very things that God is already willing and able for us to receive. Spiritual strength, a heart of faith, allowing love to guide our lives, intimately knowing God’s love for us, and living out uncommon, extraordinary lives for Jesus, this is the impact that this prayer can have on each and every one of us. Why not personalize this prayer and make your own!

Lord, may I be strengthened by Your Spirit in the inner man.

Lord, may Jesus dwell in my heart by faith.

Lord, may I be rooted and grounded in love.

Lord, may I intimately know the love of Christ in my life.

Lord, may I be filled up to all the fullness of God.