Paul's Request, Part 1

Since the beginning of the stay at home time I have been camped in the book of Ephesians. Honestly I have seemed to be spending a lot of time there over the last year. My practice has been to read one chapter a day with pencil in hand to mark and highlight areas causing me to pause. This week I was reading through chapter 3 and I became captured by verses 14-19. I usually skip my attention to 20-21, as those verses have become very important to my calling. But Ephesians 3:14-19 is Paul sharing what he is praying for in regards to the people of Ephesus. In the Common English Bible, there are four "I ask" statements to Paul's prayer.

"This is why I kneel before the Father. Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by him. I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit. I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love, I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19 emphasis mine)

I could not escape these verses, so I thought I would take a few blog entries and engage the text. Today I will focus on the first "I ask", in the next entries I will address the other three. Before the first "I ask" however we cannot miss the opening to the prayer. Paul reminds the readers and us that it is before God that he kneels to pray, and that every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by God. Did you catch that, every ethnic group in all of creation is recognized by God, and if recognized by God, the people are of value to God. This prayer, our faith is not intended to be an Anglo-centric, European based, faith, rather it is for all of creation. Paul's prayer is not only for people that look like him, or like me, or you, but for all of creation, every ethnic group in heaven or on earth.

Now to the first "I ask". Paul prays, "I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit."  Wow is this a timely prayer! We have been navigating some trying times over the last 40 some days. If you are anything like me this has been a time filled with all kinds of emotions, challenges, fears, boredom, and anxiety. Scrolling through the various news feeds offers many reasons for despair and depression. It could be easy to see the world as headed for destruction. I don't know about you but that wears on my very soul.

The other day I was asked how I am doing and the only answer I could offer was weary. Then I read Paul's prayer. He is asking God to grant to you and me strength in our inner selves. As much as they are helpful, Paul's request of God is not through the work of the latest psychology, not through the latest self-help reading, not even through video conferencing. Our inner selves are strengthened from the riches and glory of God, through the work of the Spirit.

What this means for me, that I totally do not like, is that I cannot do the work of strengthening on my own. I do not have the capacity to strengthen my inner self, it requires the work of the Spirit with provision from the riches and glory of God. If I am going to navigate this weary time in our history, I will need to admit I need the work of the Spirit in my life. I need God to strengthen my inner self, so that I may live the life God intends for me in Christ Jesus.

For me this means I am stealing Paul's prayer. I am asking God to strengthen my inner self from the riches and glory of God through the Spirit. I am also stealing it and saying it for you. Perhaps you would consider joining me.