Ephesians 3:17

3:17

so that – the desired result of preceding strengthening is …

Christ may dwell – abide, permanent residence, suggests intimacy. Curious that the strengthening from God is meant to produce this intimate dwelling. I usually think of these in reverse order: intimacy leads to strength. Maybe it is a spiral process? Each leads progressively to the other?

in your hearts – at the core of my being, center of emotions and will. From here He directs and affects every part of my life.

through faith – Sometimes it really requires faith to know that Christ is—present
tense—dwelling at the center of my life. I get so accustomed to His being here that I forget Him. Then the question is: Does He still hold the center-most place in my life?

And – Another specific prayer request. First was: Strengthen so that Christ may dwell. Second comes in v. 18


I pray that you – Do we have any instance of Paul praying for himself? No doubt he did, but I don’t recall where or if is recorded. This phrase reminds me of the importance of praying for others. Paul prays for his churches and asks them to pray for him. He asks others to pray for him often. But praying for himself? I don't know.

being rooted – present perfect? Status achieved in the past but continues to present. The base, source of nourishment, going down deep, to draw rich nutriments, but also to hold firm through the storms.

and established – There is a constant tension between established and moving forward. But perhaps in the Christian life, the only true forward movement occurs when we are firmly established.

I’m reflecting a bit more on “rooted,” as it connects with my walk with the Lord. As I look back at the storms, I tend to focus on my falling in the storm. [I’m mixing metaphors.] But at the same time that I was slipping and falling, I was also burrowing my roots deeper and broader into the soil of Christ. I thank you Lord God for bringing me to this place. Can I say what follows logically? I thank you Lord God for the storms: The attacks, ambushes and betrayals. I thank you for KE’s duplicity, for J’s outright lies. I thank you for A & B’s campaign of lies and deceit. I thank you for L’s hatred and its vehement outpouring. I thank you even for all the jobs that have dismissed me one way or another. Through them all, as they have increased the pain and added the scars, I did not realize their hidden benefit: My roots have grown deeper, broader and stronger.

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ.