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14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 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, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)
The Apostle Paul closes Ephesians 3 as he did in Ephesians 1, with a prayer. This prayer focuses on the power that the believer in Christ needs in order to persevere in the faith till his last day on earth.
In v.14, the Apostle Paul begins His prayer with the "Father." Our view of God as our Father is crucial to the health of our lives on this earth. In the Bible, the word “father” is found more than 1,100 times.
We view God through our earthly fathers, and our view of God touches everything in our lives. It is unfortunate for those of us who have earthly fathers who do not represent God well in our lives. However, as my life notes, this deficiency can be overcome by God's grace. In John 17:3, Jesus prayed, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
We view God through our earthly fathers, and our view of God touches everything in our lives. It is unfortunate for those of us who have earthly fathers who do not represent God well in our lives. However, as my life notes, this deficiency can be overcome by God's grace. In John 17:3, Jesus prayed, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
In v.16, we read "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Paul is praying that the Spirit might infuse His strength into our yielded lives.
Notice the first two words in v.17: "so that." We are strengthened by His Spirit so that Christ may, literally, "make his home" in our hearts. "So that" we will know the personal presence of the Lord Jesus, as our faith learns to trust Him more and more.
The key to this for us is seen in the words "through faith" in v.17. Faith is the heart's ability to see God. The goal here is that we personally know Him, and it is our faith that gives us the ability to see Him at work in our lives.
The key to this for us is seen in the words "through faith" in v.17. Faith is the heart's ability to see God. The goal here is that we personally know Him, and it is our faith that gives us the ability to see Him at work in our lives.
This leads us to the reassurance that we know His love, personally. This leads to us being "rooted and established in love." Plants are rooted; buildings are established. But Paul ties them together as figures of security. A plant that is rooted is solid. And a building needs to be firmly fixed upon a foundation; otherwise it will shake in the wind and storm.
Paul is simply saying here that we need foundations for our experiences. We can't handle life unless we have a solid foundation, unless we are rooted and established. And, when we know His love, we will know our true identity.
This sense of identity gives us power to relate to Him and others in an authentic way. We are able to do this because we are freed of our insecurities. This results in us not living in isolation but to live "with all the Lord’s holy people."
As we begin to understand this we begin to see the love that Christ has for us in everything, in our circumstances, and in relationships. This is not a condition we attain. It is a condition we return to again and again. This is what Paul refers to as being filled with the Spirit. It is the condition in which God is in possession and in control of our lives, equipping us.
