Ephesians 3:14–19
More Than Knowing
As Paul reaches this point in Ephesians, he pauses from teaching and begins to pray.
For two chapters he's been explaining what God did through Christ. Jews and Gentiles have been brought together. Sinners have been brought near. God's great plan of salvation has been revealed. But Paul knows that simply understanding these truths is not enough.
So he bows his knees before the Father and prays.
Notice what he prays for. He doesn't ask for easier circumstances or fewer troubles. Instead, he asks that believers would be "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (v. 16). The inner man is the heart—the place where fears, doubts, temptations, and discouragements often hide.
Paul knows that many believers understand the gospel but still struggle. They know God loves them, yet they feel forgotten. They know God is faithful, yet they worry about tomorrow. They know Christ has saved them, yet they still battle guilt and weakness.
That is why Paul prays that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith and that they would be "rooted and grounded in love." A tree survives storms because its roots go deep. In the same way, believers grow stronger when they become settled in Christ's love rather than in changing circumstances.
Paul's prayer reaches its highest point when he asks that they might know "the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." This isn't a contradiction. Paul means that Christ's love is greater than we can fully measure. We can spend our whole lives learning it and never reach the end of it.
The Christian life is not only about knowing facts about God. It is about growing deeper in the love of the God who already knows and loves us.
Reflection Question: Where today do you need to stop relying on your own strength and remember the unchanging love of Christ?
