Bible Reading Plan | Devotion for the week of September 6, 2020

Weekly reading: Ephesians 3-6; Luke 1
Passages referenced: Ephesians 3:14-21

¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may 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, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:14-21

I always appreciate the prayers in Paul’s letters. Especially this one in Ephesians 3. Maybe that’s because it shows us the passionate hope behind Paul’s teaching, encouraging, and correcting. We see the reason that he’s writing to believers. Paul’s prayer here reminds us that the Spirit is at work in us, strengthening us and that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. He also wants us to understand Christ’s love more – that it is our foundation and is more generous and significant than we can comprehend. He reminds us that God is so great – beyond what we can even understand – and He is at work in us and through us.

And while this prayer is specifically Paul’s for the believers in Ephesus, it can be our prayer today as well. It can be our prayer for the church – specifically WCC, the believers we interact with frequently, the churches in our community, state, and country, and for believers all across the globe. It can be our prayer for ourselves as well.

Just like Paul prayed for the Ephesians, don’t you want to grow in your understanding of God’s power, Christ’s love, and the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life? Then, personalize this prayer. Pray it for WCC. Pray it for the other churches and believers in your life. And be sure to pray it for yourself as well. – Sarah Neel

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen me with power through his Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, 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, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.