For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3: 14-19

Part of our daily discipline as a couple includes the time when we pray for our children and grandchildren. The prayers are specific to a particular thought based on a specific Biblical truth each day of the month. Of course, we have other prayers for our kids and we are quite passionate about them, I wonder how the intensity of our prayers compare to those of Paul.

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is multifaceted, but he begins with a prayer to God that his readers would be “strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being.”

How often do we focus on the external when God is more concerned about our “inner being?” The strength of the tree in the graphic above is not found in its bark or leaves, but in its root system.

Paul prays that we would receive the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that “Christ may dwell (not visit occasionally) in our hearts through faith.” It is Christ and His love that grounds us so that we are able to withstand the pressures of life.

What kind of confidence would it give you to know that someone is consistently praying for your spiritual well-being? There is Someone.

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Christ wants to see us succeed. Christ wants us to grow deeper and stronger.