My wife Pam and I taught Sunday School and led youth groups in two churches for a total of about twelve years. We loved the kids and loved sharing Jesus with them. We did it because we wanted them to know God and experience His grace, not just for that time in their young lives, but for all of their lives. Many of those kids are still loving and serving Jesus today. Some are leading youth groups in their own churches, some are even pastors, and others are actively serving God in wonderful and creative ways. Pam and I prayed for those kids by name every day. And we're always delighted to hear from them. Today's passage contains a prayer that we would often pray when we prayed for them, so let's listen to it:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:14-19)

In this passage, Paul was writing to the congregation at Ephesus, telling them how he prayed for them – that they would be strengthened with power; not human power, but power through the Holy Spirit. Why? So that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. He prayed that they would be rooted and grounded in love and would be able to comprehend the unimaginably wonderful love of Christ, and that they would be filled with the fullness of God. Isn't that a great prayer? Wouldn't you like someone to pray that prayer over you? This is God's desire for you today! He wants you to know Him. He wants you to have Jesus Christ at the center of your life, giving you enduring faith. He wants you to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. He wants you to experience His mighty love and have it fill you up so that it will overflow into the lives of people around you.

Those prayers are God's will for you and I'm praying this prayer for you today. God wants to answer this prayer in your life, today and every day...and that's very Good News!