Ephesians 3:14-19 – I bow my knees before [God] the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The basis of Paul’s prayer was his knowledge of God’s purpose. Paul had a depth of faith that was enviable to all of us. He seemed to be able to reach to his inner being and show the love of Christ to the people he met and ministered to. And that is something we all wish we had. We want to have perfect faith that never faulters, peace that surpasses all understanding, knowledge of the love we’ve received always at the front of mind, and the power to answer any question that might come our way.
Unfortunately, we don’t, and the truth is neither did Paul. There are plenty of times when Paul mentions his struggles and feeling like he had a thorn in his side that he couldn’t remove. As you go through life there will be times that you face troubles, times if feels like there is a thorn in your side. However, the troubles you face do not define who you are. It is how you react in those times of trouble that you learn the most about yourself.
Do you isolate? Do you blame others? Blame yourself? Lash out at people that aren’t even involved? Or do you reach out to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being? One of those things is not like the other. One of those things isn’t the same.
Having the ability to not react the way we naturally want to react isn’t a mystical talent, it’s more like a muscle. We need to be intentional with recognizing what our knee jerk reaction is and seeing if or how it needs to be modified when we face hard days.
My prayer is that you may be filled with all the fullness of God and know that the fullness starts small and grows as you reach for more.