Eph 3:1-21 (NLT)
1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .
2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.
3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.
4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.
5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe 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.
7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
13 So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,
15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 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.
19 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.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
With deep passion for those who had once been separated from access to the treasures of God’s favor, Paul prayed that they would receive a revelation of the vast provision Jesus secured for them through redemption. This powerful prayer was inspired by believers who were crossing long-standing cultural barriers to join the children of Abraham in union with the Father through Christ.
They were not only being included in the family; they were also being welcomed into the unlimited resources already prepared for them as an inheritance, shared alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters. The former barrier of identity qualifications—those that once prevented anyone outside the Jewish bloodline from boldly entering into God’s favor and blessing—had been removed through the immeasurable grace revealed in Jesus’ sacrifice.
God so loved the world, not merely one physical lineage. Now there is no racial or gender-based prequalification to approach the throne of grace with confidence and boldness, and to receive far more than could ever be asked or imagined.
Although countless Gentiles across the world have responded to the Father’s extraordinary gift of life in Christ, the full revelation and lived experience of this provision is still unfolding. Paul’s prayer, originally intended for the local church in Ephesus, remains just as effective for all who are called—both Jew and Gentile—to live as children of their Creator, more than conquerors and triumphant over every curse of sin and death.
For us, there will never be an end to the power of this prayer as it continues to bring deeper understanding and practical expression of this essential revelation.