1 Kings 9-10, Psalm 119:41-48, Luke 2:1-20, Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21:

What a prayer! What do we learn from this prayer of Paul’s?

We learn that the gospel motivates praying. “For this reason.” What reason? The reason is the truth and power of the gospel. A people that love the gospel will be a praying people.

We learn that God is more than able to provide for all our needs. Paul prays that “out of [God’s] glorious riches” (3:16). God has more than enough to help.

We learn that what we most need to pray for is not physical strength but inner strength. Paul prays that God “may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (3:16).

We learn that the great purpose is the indwelling of Christ in our hearts through faith. He prays all this “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (3:17).

We learn that a great goal of prayer is not only that we are rooted and established in the love of Christ, but that we may grasp “how long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (3:18).

We learn that in order to be able to grasp the sheer extent of Christ’s love, we need “power” (3:18). God loves us so much that it takes supernatural power to be able to grasp the extent of that love for us!

We learn that that goal of praying is that we “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (3:19). What a thing to pray for! Next time you are praying for someone, pray for that: that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We learn that however expansive our prayers, that is nothing compared to what God can do. He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (3:20).

We learn that that power “is at work within us” (3:20) who are Christians. We have this immeasurable power at work in us!

We learn that Paul’s great prayer culminates in the glory of God: “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations” (3:21).