An overheard prayer with measurements I just cannot comprehend

By Dean Collins

Some people are uncomfortable praying publicly. Some are uncomfortable just speaking in public, so praying in public is doubly difficult. For others, offering a prayer in public feels wrong because prayer is a private activity. It’s a conversation between God and me, and no one else really needs to know about it. Jesus himself told us to get away from others when we pray (Matthew 6:6). If it was good for Jesus, it’s good for me.

Some people easily interject prayer right in the middle of a conversation, as if God is right there in the room with them. And of course, we know he is.

Interrupting with a prayer

In the middle of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he simply starts praying. Should we bow and quietly pray along? Should we skip these verses because it’s a man alone with quill and scroll sharing his deepest thoughts with God? Does this prayer really need scholars and preachers to explain it? I don’t recommend dissecting another’s prayers, as it would likely be awkward on a number of levels and make them hesitant to pray again.

But Paul clearly starts his prayer in the middle of his letter with this line: “…for this reason I bow my knees before the Father….” And while we might feel uneasy if we are sitting down while we read the letter, it sounds like Paul has taken a humble position on his knees as he prayed. Maybe he is reflecting on a prayer he prayed before he started his writing. Praying before writing is a good practice.

I’m sure Paul hoped we would listen in on his prayer (even though most of us were taught that eavesdropping is impolite). And I’m sure he would like us to join him by praying this prayer on behalf of others. I just paused to pray this prayer for you. Short and simple prayers are good and important, but this prayer is bold and far-reaching. Paul asked that God open his vault and pull from his unlimited riches of glory. Try and measure God’s glory and let me know how much you can quantify.

Strengthened, rooted, grounded, filled

First, Paul prays that we would be strengthened with power through God’s Spirit inside us so that Christ could actually dwell or live there. Another way to think about this is that God is putting powerful stuff inside us, and we need a powerful frame to hold it. We know from other passages that the best way to become stronger is by admitting our weakness.

Paul prayed that we would be rooted and grounded in love. If we are filled with God’s powerful Spirit and are not grounded in his love, we are just a powder keg with no way to be useful. God’s work is always expressed by how we love. He modeled this for us by giving his only Son on our behalf. We express his love by giving of ourselves on behalf of others.

Understanding the immeasurable

And now the bigger math problem. Paul prayed we would have the strength to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of his love and know the love that surpasses knowledge. Just try to take that in.

God gave us specific measurements more than once: Noah’s ark, the tabernacle, the temple, etc. Details were and are important to God. But here we are not given any numbers. We have no ability to quantify the vastness of God’s love, yet Paul prayed that somehow we could take it in.

Maybe Paul’s prayer is a good indication that we needn’t break our brains trying to figure out every detail of how God works. Maybe our job isn’t to understand everything completely. Our job is to be filled up with God’s love and pour it out on others. And when we do, we will see more and more incomprehensible works of God all around us.

I will end with the final line from Paul’s prayer. Receive it and then get busy sharing his love with someone today.

“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.”

Your time with God’s Word
Ephesians 3:14-21

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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