Paul was a prisoner in Rome because He had preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Eventually he would to be killed by the Roman Emperor Nero. Some of the Christians that knew Paul were discouraged by Paul being in prison. They didn’t understand that God was using Paul in prison for the furtherance of the Gospel. Paul wrote to the Ephesian church to encourage the brethren. Ephesians 3:13 “Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” Paul didn’t want the brethren to be discouraged. I also do not want you to be discouraged by the tribulations that you are experiencing in your life. You may not understand how God is using your tribulations for your sanctification and His glory, but He is. So that I may encourage you, let us look at Paul’s prayer of encouragement for the Ephesians.
Here is Paul’s prayer: Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
When we seek comfort in our tribulations, we should go to God our Father. He is the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Since He is the God of all comfort, Paul says “I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (Ephesians 3:14).” He is your great Father. He answers your prayers. He can comfort you.
I see four main things that the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian brethren. First, he prayed that they would be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. Each one of us, as Christians, has the Spirit within us. Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” It is this Spirit within us that can give us strength that we do not have on our own – strength to overcome the temptation of sin, strength to fight our enemy the devil, and strength when we are weak and discouraged. If we depend upon our own strength, we will fail. But like the apostle Paul, we can pray for ourselves and our fellow brethren to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in our inner being.
Second, he prayed that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. When King Solomon constructed the temple in Jerusalem and the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Most Holy Place, a cloud of the glory of the Lord filled the temple (1 Kings 8:10) and the presence of the Lord God dwelt in the temple. In the same way, we are the temple of God today (1 Corinthians 3:16). By faith, Christ can fill our hearts and dwell within us. We should welcome him into our hearts that he may live within us and do His work within us. When the Holy Spirit and Christ are truly within us, they will lead us in the paths of righteousness. We cannot with our eyes see Christ within us, so we must see Him there by faith. But we should want Him to be in us and make us like Him.
Third, the apostle Paul prayed that they would be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ. We have seen the love of Christ for us when He went to the cross. Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” He is now at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). He has gone to prepare a place for us (John 14:2). The width, length, and depth and height imply that Christ’s love is very large. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could comprehend the full extent of His love for us? We are told that God is love (1 John 4:16); that is one of His primary characteristics. I am confident that Christ is love also. If we really understood how great His is love for us, it should comfort us in whatever tribulation He allows us to go through. Why worry? Why be discouraged? Christ loves you!
Fourth, the apostle Paul prayed that they would be filled with all the fullness of God. To be filled with all the fullness of the God of the universe confounds the understanding. What can that mean? Could it mean the fullness of His grace or the fullness of His love or the fullness of His Holy Spirt, or the fullness of His Presence? Perhaps it means all of those things. It would seem to mean the close fellowship and intimacy of God the Father would be with us, to fill us, to strengthen us, and to comfort us.
Let us review the prayer Paul had for the Ephesians. First, that they would be strengthened with might through His Spirit within them. Second, that Christ would dwell within their hearts. Third, that they would comprehend the greatness of the love of Christ for them. And fourth, that they would be filled with the fullness of God. Paul prayed that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit would each comfort and strengthen them. This can be your prayer as well.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are on your side. They want you to succeed. They want you to be encouraged. They want to help you on your life journey. Romans 8:31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” In spite of the tribulations you experience, have faith that God is for you!