Ephesians 3:14-21 — A Prayer for Empowerment

Ephesians 3:14-21 — A Prayer for Empowerment

This is the second prayer that the Apostle Paul records in this letter to intercede for the Ephesians. This prayer is connected in a significant way to the first prayer in Ephesians 1:15–23 in that they both include Paul asking God to reveal His extraordinary power to the Ephesians.

This prayer, however, goes beyond the first by petitioning God to give His power to the Ephesians. The Apostle Paul also prays that they would receive a divine understanding of the magnitude of Christ’s love. He prays that the Ephesians will experience Christ's love in a way that will provide them with a firm foundation for their lives. He prays that God would strengthen them by His Spirit and that Christ would inhabit the church fully, namely, the temple made from Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Ephesians 2:11–22 serves as a basis for this prayer. Here is why Paul thinks he can approach God in prayer and petition Him on behalf of the Ephesians.

• Because we "have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13).
• Because we now have peace with God (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 17).
• Because both Jews and Gentiles together have been reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:16).
• Because through Christ we all "have access by one Spirit to the Father" (Ephesians 2:18).
• Because Jews and Gentiles together form a spiritual temple that constitutes a dwelling place for God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19–22).

This prayer connects the doctrinal section of the letter (Ephesians 1-3) with the applicational section (Ephesians 4-6). The first section tells who we are in Christ and the spiritual blessings we have in Him. The second section tells us how to live in response to that. This prayer tells us that we need to be empowered through the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1).

To prepare the reader for the applicational section, the Apostle Paul requests supernatural empowerment because this enabling power is precisely what they will need to live by the second section of the letter (Ephesians 4-6). This supernatural empowerment is also essential because of the supernatural opposition that believers face (Ephesians 4:27; 6:10–20). Paul’s additional petition that Christ may enlarge His reign in their lives (Ephesians 3:17) is necessary for Christ's transforming work within each member individually (Ephesians 4:17–24) and the church as a whole (Ephesians 4:11–16).