After Jesus’ ascension to glory, the disciples gathered together for prayer, awaiting the giving of the Spirit. When he descended upon them at Pentecost, they glorified God in many tongues and preached the word in Jerusalem. And so, the Church was born.

At that time, the apostles, eyewitnesses to his resurrection, defined their ministry as being prayer and the ministry of the word.

When Paul was called as an apostle to the Gentiles, he also devoted himself to these two aspects of the ministry above all others, as did his team.

We find several of his prayers for Christians written in his epistles. Among these, one stands out for its breadth and beauty.

Today, we invite you to meditate on these requests and make them your own. Imagine what could happen if every Christian you know lived as this prayer invites them to!

For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you,
being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
forever and ever! Amen
(Ephesians 3:14-21).

Throughout This Day: Ask God to remind you to pray these requests for each Christian you think of as you go from task to task and from place to place. Memorize them if you can.



Tags: 2000 Years of Prayer Daily Devotional Ephesians 3
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