Paul's Prayer (part 2)

(Ephesians 3:17b-19a)

“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;”

We learned in these verses that God's resources are unlimited, that he wants his children to be strong, and that our faith allows God to work in our hearts.

Let’s continue on....

“...that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”

These words speak of something that is essential to spiritual growth. Just as a child needs to know that his earthly father loves him, the son or daughter of God needs to know that their heavenly Father loves them. All of our earthly fathers are flawed, but our heavenly Father is perfect. We are to "send down our roots" into his love. How do we do this? First, we can dwell upon scripture that tells us of his love for us. Romans 5:6-8 is one of those portions of scripture:

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Some other passages that tell us of God's love are Isaiah 53, I John 3:1, I John 3:16-17, I John 4:16, John 15:13, and the latter chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which tell us of Christ's betrayal, abandonment, and crucifixion. We can also think about all that God has done for us in our daily lives and how he has shown us the way of salvation.

To be "grounded" means to lay a foundation and to be settled. It is useless to begin construction on a building until there is a good, solid foundation.

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 3:10- 11)

So we see that the purpose of this rooting and grounding in love is to make us stable, unmovable, and prepared for God to build us up.

“...May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;”

To "comprehend" means to take eagerly, to seize, to possess, or to grasp. It is related to the word "prehensile". To comprehend the four dimensions of it as stated in the previous verse is to have a firm grasp of the various dimensions of the things that God wishes us to know.

“And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,”

We can know the love of Christ but his love surpasses (goes beyond) mere knowledge. It is a thing of the heart and not just of the mind.

May God grant you the things contained in this prayer.

To be continued...