“Strengthened with Power”

Prayer – Ephesians 3:14-21

…for inner transformation and immeasurable love.

“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…”

~ Ephesians 3:14-16, ESV

Paul drops to his knees. Not casually, not as religious posture, but as a man overwhelmed by the mystery he has just described—that Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members, fellow partakers in Christ (3:6). The weight of this reality drives him to intercession. And the prayer that follows is architectural in its precision: inner strengthening, Christ’s dwelling, love’s comprehension, and fullness beyond measure.

This is not a prayer for comfort or success. It’s a prayer for transformation so profound that it mirrors the very nature of God.

Why This Prayer Matters

Ephesians 3:14-21 stands as Paul’s most expansive intercessory prayer. Where Colossians 1:9-14 focuses on knowledge leading to conduct, this prayer penetrates deeper—to the inner being, to the heart’s dwelling place, to love that defies human measurement. Paul is praying for nothing less than the Trinity’s full operation in the believer’s life: the Father’s riches, the Spirit’s power, the Son’s indwelling presence.

For contemporary believers often focused on external change or circumstantial relief, this prayer reorients us toward the foundational work of God in the soul. It teaches us to pray for spiritual infrastructure before spiritual fruit, for heart transformation before behavior modification.

Walking Through the Prayer

1. Posture Before the Father

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named…” (vv. 14-15)

Paul begins with posture—both physical and theological. The phrase “bow my knees” (κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου) indicates earnest, reverent petition. This wasn’t casual prayer but desperate intercession.

But notice the theology embedded in his posture. He prays to “the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” The word “family” (πατριά) comes from the same root as “father” (πατήρ). Paul is saying that all fatherhood—human and angelic—derives from God the Father. He is the archetype, the source, the pattern of all paternal relationship.

This grounds the prayer in God’s fundamental nature as Father—not just functionally, but essentially. When we pray for inner transformation, we’re asking the ultimate Father to do what fathers do: nurture, strengthen, and form their children.

2. Strengthened with Power in the Inner Being

“…that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being…” (v. 16)

Paul prays for strength, but not physical or circumstantial strength. He prays for power (δύναμις) in the “inner being” (τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον)—the core of human personality, the seat of will and affection.

The source of this strength is crucial: “according to the riches of His glory.” God doesn’t strengthen us out of His leftovers but according to the fullness of His glorious nature. And the agent is “His Spirit”—the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead (1:19-20).

This echoes 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Paul is praying for the Spirit’s ongoing work of inner renewal—not just conversion, but continual transformation at the deepest level of human existence.

3. Christ Dwelling in Your Hearts

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (v. 17a)

The purpose of inner strengthening is Christ’s dwelling (κατοικέω). This word doesn’t mean a temporary visit but permanent residence—settling down, making oneself at home. Paul is praying that Christ would not just visit their hearts but establish His residence there.

The phrase “through faith” indicates the means. Faith is not just initial trust but ongoing dependence—the atmosphere in which Christ makes His home in the believer’s heart. This connects to Jesus’ words in John 14:23: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

This indwelling is not mystical absorption but personal communion. Christ dwells in hearts that are prepared by the Spirit’s strengthening and opened by faith’s receptivity.

4. Rooted and Grounded in Love

“…that you, being rooted and grounded in love…” (v. 17b)

Paul mixes metaphors—agricultural (rooted, ἐρριζωμένοι) and architectural (grounded, τεθεμελιωμένοι). Like trees with deep roots and buildings with solid foundations, believers are to be established in love.

But whose love? The grammar suggests both divine love (God’s love for us) and human love (our love for God and others). Paul is praying that they would be so established in the reality of God’s love that it becomes the foundation for all other relationships.

This prepares for what follows. You cannot comprehend love’s dimensions unless you’re first rooted in love’s reality.

5. Comprehending Love’s Dimensions

“…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…” (vv. 18-19a)

Paul prays for comprehension (καταλαβέσθαι)—not just intellectual understanding but experiential apprehension. The love of Christ has dimensions: breadth, length, height, depth. Like a four-dimensional reality, it exceeds normal human measurement.

Yet Paul creates a paradox: he prays that they would “know” (γνῶναι) the love that “surpasses knowledge” (ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως). This is not contradiction but recognition that Christ’s love operates beyond the boundaries of mere intellectual comprehension. It must be experienced to be known.

The phrase “with all the saints” suggests corporate discovery. The fullness of Christ’s love is not grasped in isolation but in community—as the whole body of Christ explores together the immeasurable love of their Savior.

6. Filled with All the Fullness of God

“…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (v. 19b)

Paul concludes with the most audacious prayer in Scripture. He prays that believers would be filled (πληρωθῆτε) with “all the fullness of God” (πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ).

This doesn’t mean becoming divine but being filled with the divine nature—love, holiness, wisdom, power—as far as finite beings can contain infinite reality. It echoes Colossians 1:19: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” and 2:9-10: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him.”

The progression is clear: Spirit-strengthening → Christ-indwelling → love-grounding → love-comprehending → God-filling. Each stage enables the next, culminating in a fullness that mirrors God’s own nature.

Doxology of Impossibility

“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.” (vv. 20-21)

Paul ends not with “Amen” but with doxology. He has prayed for the impossible—finite beings filled with infinite fullness. But God is “able to do far more abundantly” (ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ) than we can ask or imagine.

The phrase stacks superlatives: ὑπέρ (above) + ἐκ (out of) + περισσοῦ (abundance). God doesn’t just exceed our prayers—He superabundantly surpasses them. And the power to do this is not external but “at work within us”—the same Spirit who strengthens, the same Christ who dwells, the same Father who fills.

Glory belongs to God “in the church and in Christ Jesus.” The church becomes the theater of God’s glory as believers are progressively filled with His fullness. And this continues “throughout all generations, forever and ever”—an eternal project of divine fullness in finite vessels.

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Key Takeaways:

As Bereans, we should examine this teaching against Scripture (Acts 17:11). Here’s what stands firm:

• Prayer Begins with Proper Posture – Paul’s physical kneeling reflects theological humility before the Father from whom all fatherhood derives.
• Inner Transformation Precedes Outer Change – Paul prays for Spirit-powered strengthening in the “inner being” before any external manifestation.
• Christ’s Dwelling is Progressive – The prayer assumes believers can experience deeper levels of Christ’s presence through ongoing faith and Spirit-strengthening.
• Love Must Be Experientially Known – Christ’s love has dimensions that exceed intellectual comprehension but can be apprehended through experience in community.
• Divine Fullness is the Goal – The ultimate purpose of Christian formation is being “filled with all the fullness of God”—not divinity, but participation in divine nature.
• God Exceeds Our Highest Prayers – The doxology reminds us that God’s power to transform surpasses even our most audacious requests.
• This Prayer is Corporate – Paul prays “that you” (plural) would comprehend “with all the saints”—spiritual growth happens in community.