Let's continue with the closing of the prayer in Ephesians 3 with verses 20 and 21.  Paul's ending words of his prayer for the Ephesians is an ode to God, "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (NRSV).  It sounds familiar because it is Paul's example we are following when we end prayers with something like, "To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
  But let's take a look at that first verse.  God is able to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine by his power within us.  He has placed his power within us.  Do we believe that?  It is the word of God. Do we believe that God has placed his power within us? If not, why not?  Supposedly it can do more than we can ask or even imagine.  The verse carries through Paul's previous prayer that we are strengthened  in our inner being with God's power through the Holy Spirit.  It seems to me that if we accept this as the word of God then we accept it as being true.  We are strengthened by the power of God to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine.
  It implies that what we imagine limits us.  We don't ask for enough.  We are letting the power that raised Christ from the dead go to waste.  I imagine that what each of us can do is different from the other.  We are one body, one spirit in one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph 4:4-5).  The parts of the body are made to do different things, but all work together.  We all have a part to play.
  Let's not let the power of God go to waste.  Dream. Imagine. Ask.
  To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

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  We have spent time already looking at Ephesians 1:16-19 and 3:15-16.  Let us continue with 3:17-19 which states  "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (NRSV).
  Whew! What a mouthful.  Paul loves those run-on sentences. He gets so excited with what he is praying that he can't stop.  His infectious joy overflows at the inclusion of Gentiles in the body of Christ. (As a Pharisee, I doubt Paul ever thought to see such a thing.) So his prayer is that, since they have come to faith, Christ dwell in their hearts and that Christ's presence in them ground them in love for others.  This love for others should be deepened by coming to understand the breadth, length, height and depth of God's love which without revelation is unknowable.  He has already prayed for them to have this revelation as we saw in 1:17.  Really, this prayer in chapter 3 is a continuation of the prayer in chapter 1.
  So how does this lead us to pray?  It seems that we should pray for a greater knowledge of the depth of God's love.  It's a love that never runs out, never gives up.  And, if no one has told you this today, let me say it now:  God loves you.
#Paul #Prayer #Prayers #Revelation #Ephesians #St.Paul