God with us - Week 12: Ephesians 3:16-19
The words on my screen became increasingly difficult to read, and the notes I’d taken about the church at Ephesus were full of mistakes. My brain was tired and needed a change of scenery. I clicked on YouTube and entered this week’s Scripture into the search engine. Up popped the pastor Francis Chan and, knowing he would be able to keep my weary mind focused, I clicked play.
He read the words of Ephesians 3:16-21 (yes, I know I’ve sneaked some extra verses on…don’t tell anyone.)
16 Father, out of Your honourable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit 17 so that through faith the Anointed One will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together 18-19 with all of Your people, they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings.
20 Now to the God who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in us, 21 to Him be all glory in the church and in Jesus the Anointed from this generation to the next, forever and ever.
Amen.
Ephesians 3:16-21 (VOICE)
And then Francis Chan asked the question that has been stuck in my mind all week.
“When was the last time you prayed anything remotely close to that?”
Francis Chan
I scanned my prayer journal, and my prayers felt a little small! There’s nothing wrong with praying for the everyday things of life or even focusing on specific circumstances, but maybe I need to pray a bit more like Paul. Maybe I need to remember that I’m praying “to the God who can do so many awe-inspiring things.” (Ephesians 3:20)
So, this week we’re going to do something a little bit different.
If you’d like to share in my ‘Pray like Paul’ week, then I’ve attached a PDF resource for you to print out and jot down your thoughts.
We often pray for God to “be with” someone but maybe we can kick it up a notch this week. It doesn’t matter what translation you use, but this week we’re going to let the words of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians inspire us to pray big. Each day we’ll have a different prayer focus and ask God to do “immeasurable” things in the lives of our friends, church, and our hearts.
As we enter our week of praying like Paul, “may you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:19 - NLT)
Kay Moorby
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