“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
This prayer captures the heart of the Epistle to the Ephesians—that the church would have an experiential knowledge of the riches we have in Christ. Chief among these riches is love. But where does this fountain find its supply? What is the source of such a powerful outpouring of riches? According to our passage, it is “according to the riches of his glory.”
The Riches of his Glory
God’s glory is a central theme in the book of Ephesians. He saves us “to the praise of his glory” (1:6, 12, 14). Paul prays that we would know “the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (1:18). In chapter 3, he mentions it in this prayer and again at the close of the chapter (3:21). God is glorious—above all things and all people. He is all-powerful, all-sufficient, all-knowing, ever-present, all-good, and sovereign. Since He is glorious, everything He does is glorious. He created man to bear His glorious image, and it was good. He saves men and is glorified in doing so. He is even glorified in judgment. There is nothing He does that is not wonderful. All His works reflect His glorious nature—His creation, His redemption, His sanctification, His chastening, and everything else He does in our lives.
This prayer begins by appealing to the power that will answer it—to the storehouse from which the answer will come: the riches of God’s glory! “According to the riches of his glory.” Dear friend, if our prayers are being answered from this storehouse, we can rest assured that there is an eternal, all-sufficient, and all-powerful supply to meet the need. Greater than Joseph’s granaries, greater than Fort Knox, greater than all the financial institutions of this world—far above the riches of this world—we have the riches of the God of this world as the supply of this prayer. No matter how great the request, the supply is all-sufficient and all-powerful to meet it.
Strength for the Inner Man
The first request Paul makes is that we would be strengthened. This request acknowledges a present reality—we are not yet what we ought to be. We could be far stronger than we are now. This is where productive prayer begins: when we recognize our weakness and our need for Him. Not physical strength, not financial strength, but strength in the inner man—that our “new man,” the new nature given to us at our second birth, would become stronger. Strong enough to dominate the old man, that “flesh” we must fight against until the day we die.
This strengthening comes from the Spirit of God. This is good news! No matter how weak you may be—even if your strength is like that of a dead man—it is no problem for the Spirit of God. He raises men from the dead! He strengthened Samson to overcome armies. So ask! Your weakness is not a hindrance to the Spirit. Even when you were dead in trespasses and sins, with no spiritual life or ability to raise yourself, He raised you up. Do you suppose, in an hour of weakness, that He cannot strengthen you? Of course, He can.
Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts
This strengthening results in Christ dwelling in our hearts—not an occasional visit, but a permanent residence. There is a difference between visiting a place and dwelling there. Think of the marks of a dwelling place—your clothes hang there, your scent fills the air, your belongings are scattered about, pictures are on the walls, and the most intimate moments of your life happen there. That is what God desires for the heart of the believer—to be the abode of Christ! For His voice to fill the chambers of your heart, for His presence to overwhelm you in intimate fellowship.
Oh, that Christ might dwell in our hearts! What peace! What joy! What fellowship!
Notice, though, that this is an operation of faith: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” You won’t see Him there, but there will be evidence of this faith-union. Your life will have substance—“faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Though unseen, the evidences of a heart dwelling with Christ by faith will be undeniable. The reality of His presence will weigh so heavily upon your life that even those around you—though they may not understand why—will see something substantial and attractive in you.
Oh, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith!
Rooted and Grounded in Love
This life with Christ will root and ground you in His love. It would be impossible for a renewed heart to live with the most lovely Person and not be changed by Him. Dear Christian, if we make our heart His dwelling place, it will transform us at the foundational level. Our roots will break through the hardened soil of defiance and self-interest and tap into the life-giving flow of God’s love.
To be rooted in love means to be fruited in love.
A gardener once wanted his trees to bloom red, white, and blue flowers for Independence Day. He poured food dye at the base of the trees, and because the roots absorbed the dye, the flowers bore those colors. Dear Christian, if we are rooted in the love of Christ, our lives will bear the colors, fruits, and fragrance of God’s love! Imagine the transformation—what a beautiful place your workplace would be if you brought the fragrance and color of God’s love there! What a beautiful home it would be! What a beautiful world this would be if every Christian were rooted in Christ’s love and bore the fruit of that love in a world filled with hate.
Comprehending the Incomprehensible
So great is the love of Christ that comprehending it is not the work of one brother or sister alone, but it requires all of us together. Paul prays that we "may be able to comprehend with all saints" what cannot be grasped in isolation. Your personal experiences with Christ may uncover certain glories of His love that another believer has not yet seen, and in turn, their walk with Him may reveal to you unseen treasures. Through fellowship, through testimony, through the shared life of the body of Christ, we come to a greater comprehension of His love.
Many times, testimony services have shown us the beauty of His love in a brother or sister’s life. As one brother stands to speak, we see the love of Christ sustaining him through trial. A sister shares how God’s mercy restored her in her deepest failure. Another tells of His faithfulness in answering prayer, even when hope seemed lost. As we listen, we come to see His love in new ways—not only as it has worked in our own lives but in the lives of our fellow saints. Our testimonies strengthen each other, and in these moments, we all come to a better comprehension of His love.
And no matter which way we turn, His love is there—It is broad, stretching across all humanity, reaching every nation, every tongue. It is long, extending through all of history and into eternity, never failing, never fading. It is deep, descending lower than the stain of sin, deeper than the depths of hell itself. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound! It is high, lifting us to the very heavens, securing for us a place with Christ. He has gone to prepare a place for us, and as glorious as that place will be, its greatest glory is the One who has prepared it.
Oh, how incomprehensible is His love! It passes knowledge! Even after ten million years in Heaven, basking in the glories of His love, we will have an eternity to do so still, and we will never find the end of it. It is an eternal supply of fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment—fullness to the brim!
Filled with the Fullness of God
No wonder the end result of this prayer is that we “might be filled with all the fulness of God.” This is the life of contentment—godliness with contentment, which is great gain.
We can never contain all of God, but we can be filled with Him.
A thimble could never contain the entire sea, but the sea is more than sufficient to keep that thimble filled to overflowing for all eternity. Likewise, our little vessels cannot contain all of God’s fullness, but His eternal love and glory are more than sufficient to keep us overflowing at all times and for all eternity.
Are you weak this morning? Are you empty?
Oh, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
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