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that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The Apostle Paul prayed for strength for us in our time of need.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would grant<\/span>\u201d is from the verb did\u014dmi<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto give.\u201d It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility of this occurring.<\/p>\n The expression \u201criches of His glory<\/span>\u201d is a reference to the wealth of goodness that God possesses.<\/p>\n The words \u201cto be strengthened<\/span>\u201d are translated from the verb krataio\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which means \u201cto increase in strength and power.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith might<\/span>\u201d is from dunamis<\/em><\/span> (from which we get our English word \u201cdynamite\u201d), meaning \u201cpower or might.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInner<\/span>\u201d is translated from es\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cinside\u201d or \u201cthat which is within.\u201d<\/p>\n We mentioned in verse fourteen that Paul is bowing in worship to the Father. The particular form of worship here is a prayer for his friends in the church in Ephesus (and by application, for all believers).<\/p>\n This prayer of Paul\u2019s contains five petitions, the first of which is identified here. He prays that we might be strengthened with might. On the surface that appears to be a redundant statement. How else would we be strengthened but with strength or might? It appears that what Paul is asking is that God would strengthen us \u201cwith His might.\u201d After all, we have very little strength within ourselves. By ourselves we are no more than sinners on a downhill road to Hell. But \u2013 through God\u2019s power and the abundance of His glorious riches, He can strengthen us with His mighty strength.<\/p>\n That this is Paul\u2019s intention is borne out by the next phrase, \u201cthrough His Spirit<\/span>.\u201d The way that God gives us some of His strength is through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God\u2019s channel of blessing to us.<\/p>\n In the previous two verses we talked about the \u201cranking\u201d of the three persons of the Godhead. This is not to say that any one of the three is more important than either of the other two. It\u2019s just that for the purpose of dealing with the finite minds of fallen mankind, they have established a hierarchy. Each one of the three persons performs a necessary function. The Holy Spirit, as mentioned in this verse, is the one who enables God-given abilities within us. He is, in a sense, the conduit through which the power and enabling of God is \u201cfed\u201d to us. Thus, the \u201cgifts of the Spirit\u201d referred to in 1Corinthians and Hebrews, are really gifts of God, but they are given to us through the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s verse Paul makes it clear that the strengthening power is not a physical or muscular strengthening. It is an inner strength. It is the inner strength which has allowed Christians throughout history to endure incredible hardships, and it reflects all the glory of God back on Him.<\/p>\n Do you need inner strength to get you through a difficult situation? Rest assured that the Apostle Paul has already asked the Father to give you that strength. He prayed for you!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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