you

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love…” (Eph 3:17)

Paul is writing to the Ephesian church, giving them a little window into how he has been praying for them. The entire prayer is powerful and much could be said about every word and phrase. But lately, I’ve been chewing on verse 17.

He’s writing to believers. My first instinct is to correct Paul’s theology. Why would an apostolic prayer include a request for Jesus to indwell them by faith? Isn’t that, in fact, how someone becomes a believer? By faith? Isn’t that the result of faith? That Jesus would indwell them? Why would Paul ask God to do what is already done?

Of course, it’s true: Jesus already lives, by the Spirit, in the hearts of these believers. So why would Paul pray this? Because there’s more. More of the reality of Jesus’ presence and power is available than they are currently experiencing.

The next part of the verse brings clarification to what Paul means: to be rooted and grounded in God’s love. He is praying that God’s love for us would more fully become our foundation. We were designed to find our identity and security in the Father’s love for us. Like a tree planted by the water, our vitality and stability increases as our roots plunge deeper into the soil of God’s love for us. The winds blow and the storms rage, and yet we cannot be moved from our source.

If God’s love isn’t our ground and source, then fear will be.

This is the fundamental difference between the orphan heart and the identity of sonship. We are either rooted and grounded in God’s love for us, or we are anchored in fear. We fear not being enough, thus we see ourselves as orphans. We fear not having enough, thus we operate from a place of lack and poverty.

Paul’s prayer still echoes through eternity for you. May the roots of your being stretch deeper into this one experience and truth:

Your heavenly Father loves you.