Reading through Ephesians yesterday morning, I found myself wrapped up in the reality of God’s plan for us, “Both Gentiles and Jews who believe in the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus…Because of Christ’s faithfulness, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” (Eph. 3 v.6, v.12)

I have always loved Ephesians, but this time, I think it was Paul’s awe for God that really struck me. “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father…” he records. The translation then, is captivating to me, “…from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.” (Eph. 3 v.14-15.) Every family in heaven and on earth. Every single one. We are all counted by Him, all carefully planned and crafted and looked after by Him.

Paul continues, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust him. Your roots will go down into God’s love and keep you strong.” (Eph. 3 v.16-17) I love this. God’s Spirit fills us up and flows over until we are no longer our former selves. And Christ lives IN us. He “makes his home in our hearts.” There is nothing we could ever do to deserve his presence there, but we get to experience Christ moving in and through us anyway.

Then Paul declares, “And 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. May 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.” (Eph. 3.18-19) How wide, how long, how high, and how deep. Can we even conceive of it? In our whole lives on earth, we will never fully know the greatness of God’s love, and yet it overwhelms us, impresses us, changes us when we encounter even a portion of it.

I LOVE this prayer. In fact, if I had only one prayer for everyone I’ve ever known and anyone I will ever meet going forward, this would be it. It is my prayer for those who have known Christ from a time when the were very young, and it is my prayer for those who have never known Him, but who have been named and counted by our heavenly Father. God is so attentive–to be alive and well among us, to be revealing more and more of himself to me in the Word each day.

Today, I’m leaning on Ephesians. And I’m cementing this prayer on my heart.

This post was originally blogged on 7 November 2007 @ 4:00pm from Johannesburg, South Africa