That, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant you to be strengthened with the power through His Spirit in your inner being…
Ephesians 3:16
What is your superpower? I always wanted to be Superman because I thought it would be neat to fly and beat up bad people. As a kid, I even had the Superman costume and would pretend to fly all over the place. I did all of my playing inside my house so that my friends wouldn’t see me and laugh. I was no Superman. I was more like Barney Fife. Always said the wrong things, never seemed to get things right, and couldn’t get the bullet out of my shirt pocket. I was a mess.
But I want you to see the superpower that God gives us today, and it is through Paul’s prayers that God imparts this gift to believers in Ephesus.
Strength is Power
The Apostle Paul knew just what to pray for when it came to his friends. He asked God to provide strength to the Ephesian believers. This prayer should come as no surprise if you know what the Ephesians dealt with every day. The power mentioned here is the power to resist. In Ephesus, there was so much to endure, and yet so much to embrace. The Ephesians had a huge choice to make. A lack of power from God would likely result in a group of people who grasped the Ephesian culture, godless worship, and the worship of Artemis. Artemis kept the city safe from evil spirits.
The city was well-populated with around 200,000 people, and Christianity was growing. However, Paul knew they needed more than theology to live out the gospel. They required an extraordinary power, and he prayed for that.
Strength through the Holy Spirit
Paul also understood how power would be transmitted. The Holy Spirit has so many functions in a believer’s life. It amazes me how few Christ-followers fail to realize the power and strength given to us by the Holy Spirit. We just have to embrace it.
Notice here that the Holy Spirit would be the vehicle through which God supplied power. And since the Holy Spirit lives in us, we continuously have access to that power. How many of us take the time to pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us when we need it? I know that I often fail to seek that strength because I’m distracted by the other things that grab and fight for my attention.
Strength in Your Inner Being
Paul also knew where you would need that strength. It would have been great for Paul to pray that the Ephesians would be strengthened in their outer beings. We would all walk around like the Incredible Hulk. Looking for a fight and never losing one. We would break walls down and throw cars down the road. How cool would that be? I know. I’m beginning to ramble. But think about the coolness factor if you got to be the Hulk!
But that’s not Paul’s intention. God is not concerned with our outward appearance, but with our inner being and our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). Paul was someone who lived by trial and error. This prayer was no error but was perfect for what the Ephesians needed.
We can lift weights all day long and still experience a weak spirit. Our external bodies can look fabulous while our spirit wastes away.
And one more thought. Paul is not asking for self-discipline or some kind of power from positive thinking. He is asking for a power to overcome that can only be through the Holy Spirit. When is the last time you prayed for that kind of power in your life? Will you pray that way today?