Ephesians 3:16-19
As Paul prayed for the Ephesians believers, he made specific requests on their behalf. Note that he did not pray for anything material but spiritual. Why? Because spiritual matters are eternal. One can become obsessed with the physical and fail to consider the eternal. So, Paul’s focus is entirely spiritual.
I. V. 16 HE PRAYS FOR SPIRITUAL POWER
The first petition the Apostle makes regards their spiritual might. The word “might” come from the Greek word that gives us our English words “dynamite and dynamo.” The passage speaks of the “strength of God in the inner man enabling the believer to live for the Lord.” Pay attention to few thoughts about Paul’s prayer.
A. The Arena of This Power – The arena of this power is the “inner man.” The “inner man” here refers to the soul. You are strong when the “inner man” is strong. When the “inner man” is weak, we are subject to the power of the flesh. The word and prayer feed the “inner man.“
B. The Abundance of This Power – Paul prays that their spiritual power may be “according to the riches of His glory.” He is praying that God will bless them “according” to His spiritual wealth. Believers should not lack spiritual blessings. The apparent lack stems from weak faith in God.
C. The Application of This Power – Paul prays that the “inner man” might be “strengthened with might by His Spirit” The Holy Spirit is the source of God’s power. When He descends on the believer, He comes in with power (Acts 1:8.) It only happens when we yield to the Holy Spirit’s control. The Holy Spirit’s control results in the “inner man’s“ growth to the satisfaction of the Lord.
II. V. 17-19a HE PRAYS FOR SPIRITUAL PASSION
Paul now turns from praying for their spiritual power to praying for their spiritual passion. He asks for believers to get filled with God’s and other’s love. Notice with me the ways Paul prayed for their spiritual love lives.
A. V. 17a
The Root of This Passion – He prayed that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” He is not praying for them to get saved. The Christians he was praying got already saved. When a sinner gets saved, the Lord resides in his heart. The word “dwell” means “to settle down; to be at home.” It is the idea of Someone being “comfortable in a home.”
B. V. 17b
The Reality of This Passion – Paul continues to ask for the believers to get “rooted and grounded in love.” These words speak of “putting down roots to give a strong foundation” and of being “stable or established.” He is praying for their maturity in Christ. A Spirit control man proves it by the way he loves the Lord and others.
C. V. 18-19
The Result of This Passion: When we are “rooted and grounded” in the love of God, we will be in a position to “… comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of that love. When Paul mentions “the breadth, length, depth, and height,” he does not talk about four kinds of love. He is talking about the fullness of the vastness of God’s love.
III. V. 19b HE PRAYS FOR SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY
Paul’s final petition for the Ephesian believers is that they “might be filled with all the fulness of God.” It is a special request. He means that believers are to get filled with God’s glory, etc. That is tenable when we fully yield to Christ. To be filled with Him implies that we become empty of ourselves.
CONCLUSION
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is fantastic! He asks for spiritual gifts that can only come from the Lord. Paul steps away from the usual formula for prayer, which goes, “bless me and mine and make us happy,” to “Lord, do whatever it takes to make us holy.”
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