Where I'm Reading:
Ephesians 3:14-21
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. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
What It's Saying:
This is a prayer from Paul that concludes one of his letters. There are a few areas he's focusing on here: spiritual strength, Christ in our hearts, having the ability to comprehend all He can do, and understanding the love of Christ. He is talking about the stance of his prayer and how gaining a deeper knowledge of Christ can increase spiritual maturity. He wants Christ to dwell and be "at home" inside of him. Paul is amazed by the power and fullness of God and the capacity of His love for us. He ends by praising Him for all He can and will do for us now and for generations to come.
How I'm Applying:
There are times when I struggle to stay focused during prayer. It's almost embarrassing how distracted I get while talking to God. Something that I have implemented in the past and have started again with recently is kneeling while I pray. This doesn't have to happen every time. I try to pray as I go throughout my day. But if you are really trying to set aside some intentional time with the Lord (which we should be!), changing your posture to kneeling or another stance may help to increase your focus. I'll add, kneeling is not necessary for God to hear your prayers but it may change your frame of mind as you approach Him.
I also feel like this section of scripture is a great framework for how/what to pray for other people. If there are days when I don't have the words or don't necessarily know all the details of what's going on in their lives, I will pray this prayer over them. This week I wrote this prayer out and made it specific for each of my kids and husband. Who could you pray this prayer over?
I am going to work on viewing my relationship with Christ and my prayer life as a means to deepen my devotion to Him and create more dependence on Him. This is like DUH, but hard for me! I want to relinquish control over my life and the lives of those around me. I would encourage you to do the same. If all of our time praying is spent making requests of God, that is not fostering relationship. The same way you wouldn't have a relationship with your husband or best friend if all you did what ask them to do things for you. I want to hear from the Lord and create a habit of listening to Him, not just talking.
Lastly, we know that God can do more for us than we can do for ourselves and more than anyone else can do for us. But I want to work on believing that He WILL. I think I tend to believe He can, but I just expect that He won't or that He needs me to step in to help Him actually finish the job. I take control and try to figure out all the things I need to do to make IT happen. Whatever IT is. Don't forget to pray for yourself- that you would seek Him, understand Him, and gain more knowledge about what He is capable of. i.e. EVERYTHING. There's so much freedom in acknowledging the work He is doing in us and for us.
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