Scripture
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,[1] 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[2] 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Translation notes (2)
- 3:14 Some manuscripts read the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 3:15 Or from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
Having a solid foundation in Jesus Christ can make or break any relationship. Being rooted in Christ gives us a firm foundation so that we can withstand all of the storms in life that come. Having a firm foundation begins with a personal decision to stay rooted and grounded in Christ. We cannot depend on anyone else to have that firm foundation. It starts with us individually and intentionally choosing to grow and commit to Christ.
The apostle Paul often taught readers the importance of having a deeply rooted relationship with Christ, and one of the places he wrote about this was Ephesians 3. In this chapter, Paul told readers he was praying that the Holy Spirit would empower them (verse 16). “Then,” he wrote, “Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong” (verse 17). Christ reached out to us when we were far from Him. He came and rescued us from sin and death and offers us eternal life if we place our faith in Him. We have to also take steps to grow in our relationship with Him. We have to spend time with Him, talk to others about Him, and grow. All the while, Christ grows deep roots as we trust Him.
As you think about your own life, when have you experienced times of growth? Was it during a particular Bible study? Maybe it was in a small group you used to be in or are currently in? Perhaps you grew by reading your Bible consistently or listening to your favorite worship songs during difficult times. Now is an excellent opportunity to commit to leaning into those moments, thanking God that He cares about our growth process, and committing to continue to grow in Him.
If you do this, your roots will go down deep. When the wind blows, it shows us how deep a tree’s, plant’s, or vine’s roots have gone. Those who are strong and rooted in the right things last. The ones that have no roots don’t survive the trials. So let your roots in Christ go down deep as He grows us and strengthens us to face anything life brings our way.
Moving Toward Action
Go on a walk today, listening to your favorite worship songs. Use this time to focus your mind and your heart on Christ and the things of Him. Notice the beauty of the nature surrounding you that He created. Commit to Him to build your foundation on Him and the things of Him, knowing that He will see you through any storm that you face.
Going Deeper
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)
Loading saved progress…
Your place is saved in this browser. It will not follow you to another device, and clearing browser data removes it.