Digging into prayer

 

This summer the women's group at church is studying through On Bended Knee; a book which studies some of the prayers in the Bible.  The first week works through the Lord's Prayer and the second week works through Paul's prayer to the Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 3:14-21, etc.  

The prayer in Ephesians is one of my go-to prayers for praying Scripture for others. Often, while praying, I will plug in specific names of the people I am praying for wherever the text says "you".   It is such a powerful prayer for spiritual strength, power and knowledge that even when I don't know the details of what others need...the strength, power, presence, love and knowledge of God are always the answer.  

As many of you know, I love, love to dig into the original words and often find a much deeper and richer understanding of Scripture through studying this way.  Today, while looking over the past few days I began to see a beautiful picture of all Paul was praying for these believers.  So, I decided to sit down and plug in those detailed definitions into verses 16-19.  This exercise has been such a blessing to me so I thought I would share what I wrote out.  I pray you would take some time and read through these verses in your Bible.

Ephesians 3:16-19

"that according to the [fullness, abundance] of his [majesty, glory] he may grant you to be strengthened with [moral power and excellence of soul] through his Spirit in your [inner being, conscience], so that Christ may [pervade, prompt, govern] in your [thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes and endeavors] through faith -- that you being [rendered firm, fixed, thoroughly grounded] and [made stable, established] in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the [great extent], and [greatness of the blessings received from Christ], and [eminence] and [immensity] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be [rooted in Christ by virtue of the intimate relationship with Him] with all the [presence, power, agency, and riches] of God."