This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 5 “I am the Church” (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
There are many things we pray for when life feels difficult. We pray for healing, direction, provision, and relief. We ask God to change circumstances that feel overwhelming and to remove burdens that seem too heavy to carry.
Paul certainly knew about difficult circumstances. As he wrote to the Ephesians, he was a prisoner. Yet when he prayed for God’s people, he did not begin by asking God to make their lives easier. He prayed for something deeper.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:14–15).
Paul begins with family.
God is not a distant force we must somehow reach. Through Christ, we come to him as our Father. We belong to his family. Before Paul asks for strength, he reminds us of where that strength comes from. It comes from the One who knows us, loves us, and has claimed us as his own.
Then Paul prays, “That out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).
Notice where Paul wants God’s strength to work. Not merely in our circumstances, but in our inner being.
There are days when we may not have the strength to change what is happening around us. The problem may remain. The uncertainty may continue. The burden may not disappear. But God is able to strengthen us from within.
This is not simply positive thinking or trying harder. It is the work of God’s Spirit. Paul prays that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith and that we would be rooted and established in love.
A tree can stand through a storm because its roots go deeper than what we can see.
The same is true for faith.
When life is calm, it is easy to assume we are strong. But storms reveal where our roots are planted. Paul reminds us that the Christian life is sustained by something deeper than our own determination. We are rooted in the love of Christ.
And that love is beyond our ability to measure.
Paul prays that we might grasp how wide and long and high and deep is Christ’s love. We may never fully comprehend it, but we can spend a lifetime growing in it.
Perhaps that is exactly the strength you need today. Not the promise that everything will immediately become easier, but the assurance that you are not facing anything alone.
You have a Father who hears you.
You have a Spirit who strengthens you.
You have a Savior whose love surrounds you.
As Paul reminds us, we are rooted together with all God’s people in a love greater than we can fully understand. The Church is not sustained by the strength of its people. It is sustained by the presence and power of God.
Today, do not measure your strength by how strong you feel.
Measure it by the One who holds you.
Reflect: Where do you need God’s strength in your inner being today? How does knowing you are rooted in Christ’s love change the way you face your struggles?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for welcoming me into your family through Christ. Strengthen me through your Spirit when I feel weak, discouraged, or overwhelmed. Root me deeply in the love of Christ so that I may stand firm through every circumstance. Help me to trust not in my own strength, but in your glorious riches and unfailing love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.