Paul’s prayer brings to light God as the author of inner strengthening for the believer. When we read prayers like this, we cannot take lightly the phrases about strengthening the hearts and inner being of fellow believers. This morning I would urge you to step back in time for a moment into the house church world of the first century. It must have required extraordinary inner strength to remain a follower of Jesus in a world with no external signs of the truth of the Christian faith. They had no physical site where they could experience the worship of God in safety. Rather, they only had to look out their windows to see evidence of their own persecution. Paul’s prayer here is an extraordinary prayer. In this prayer, you have the whole of the Christian life.
The reality is this isn’t just the experience of those in the first century. This is still a present reality for many believers all over the world. Today I urge you to intercede on behalf of those in our world who are in need of God’s strengthening in their inner being as they face oppression for professing a faith in Jesus.