Rooted and Grounded in Love
If I asked you to name a person in the New Testament, other than Jesus, who endured criticism and faced frequent opposition, yet never lost focus of his role as a minister of the gospel, I am pretty sure you would name the apostle Paul. And without the simplicity of the technology we enjoy, Paul wrote 13 letters which we call books in the New Testament. By the grace of God, we are still impacted by Paul’s wisdom and his example of faithfulness.
Several times lately I have written about prayer. Paul’s prayers are beautifully written and give us clues as to how our prayers bring comfort to others and fuel the advancement of the gospel in our generation and even beyond.
In Ephesians 3:14-21, we find Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians. While the book of Psalms comes to mind as an important guide to our prayer life, the book of Ephesians is a wonderful New Testament source for that purpose.
Paul had been given a big assignment to bring the good news of Jesus to the non-Jewish world. Jesus died to reconcile all people and all creation to God. Paul’s ministry was to make sure that all people understood and experienced this good news. Right before Paul began his prayer in verse 14, he told the Ephesians not to lose heart because of the suffering he was experiencing for them and for the advancement of the gospel. Paul was at peace in his understanding of his role and how suffering always brings glory to God.
As Paul begins his second prayer in Ephesians, he describes the expansiveness of God’s plans by saying that the Father, our Father, is the source of every family in heaven and earth. Paul prayed that God would grant the Ephesians strength and power through the Holy Spirit so that Christ would dwell in them and they would know God’s comfort.
How would the Ephesians experience comfort? By being “rooted and grounded in love.” Only the love of God can provide adequate roots and grounding to endure the chaos of this world and the suffering we experience on this side of eternity. But it is clear that being rooted and grounded doesn’t happen by accident. It is a matter of intentionality on our part and involves prayer. Only in prayer can we discover the breadth and length and height and depth, and we can know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. And so we must follow Paul’s example and pray for others even as we pray for ourselves.
According to Paul, it is praying for this expanding love of God to fill us that allows us to know the fullness of God. There is a void in every person that longs to be filled. Sadly, we seek to fill it with nearly anything and everything in this world as we long to be made whole. But there is only One who can fill the deep longing inside of man – only Jesus and His great love for us.
Ephesians 3:20 is often quoted by Christians when facing big and hard things that seem to have no solutions. “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…” This is a beautiful and powerful reminder that God’s wisdom, power, and help are beyond anything we can conjure up or imagine. Yes, in all things we can place full hope in God to bring about his perfect plans and will for us and for all of creation.
But we should also consider that if we pray for each other to fully comprehend the fullness of God that is ours through the ever-reaching love of God, we might also realize how many of the problems of the world can be solved as Christians live out the gospel. When we pray like Jesus, love like Jesus, and live like Jesus, we will see that God is in fact doing far more than we could ever ask or imagine! And as we live like Jesus, God will receive all glory for all generations.
Father, thank you for Paul’s faithfulness in following you, even at the cost of his life. Thank you for the letters he wrote to the ancient churches that teach us, as well. Thank you for the example of prayers that can guide us in how we pray for others. Be glorified in us as we choose to pray, to love, and to watch you expand your kingdom through us. In Jesus' name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
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