Have you ever felt like your prayers were not being answered? Have you ever wondered if you are praying right for someone? I mean, do you ever wonder if your prayers are disqualified since you ask for something that God does not want to give? Would you like to know a prayer that God would answer every time? In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul prays for the people of Ephesus and in that prayer, Paul prays for two things that God will answer since the request is centered on God’s glory. If you are looking for a key to prayer, it is found in praying for things that will spread His fame both now – “in the church” and forever – “throughout all generations” (see Eph. 3:20-21).

What are the two things Paul asks for on behalf of the believers at Ephesus? He asks for (1. that they experience spiritual strengthening and (2. that they would experience spiritual empowerment. Now what does that mean?

To Paul spiritual strengthening involved the “inner being” (v. 16) receiving power from the Holy Spirit. The inner being is that new nature God gave you when you became a follower of Christ. How does God’s Spirit and the new nature relate to each other in Paul’s prayer? Think of it this way, When a person catches the flu, we can take pills to deal with it , but it will take a little to get into our system since it has to travel through the digestive system. However, a doctor can give you a shot to “mainline” the medicine into your system quickly. Paul’s prayer to God was that the Holy Spirit would inject power right to the “inner being” of the people at Ephesus. The Holy Spirit providing power is consistent with His role in the lives of Jesus and the early church (see Luke 4:1,14; Acts 1:8; 10:38). So, Paul asks God to send the Holy Spirit to strengthen their inner being through the power of the Holy Spirit and this is a prayer God loves to answer every time since it will change a person to think and look more like Jesus Christ!

Meditation: How do your times in prayer relate to Paul’s focus? In what ways do you need to reform how you approach God in prayer? Who do you know who could benefit from your prayers to be strengthened in their inner being through the Holy Spirit’s power?

Next, we will look at what would be the result of God’s answer to this request…