Prayer for Growth

INTRODUCTION

Do you ever feel stuck in your spiritual growth? In a rut and just “floating along?” Or frustrated that you’re giving in to the same sin over and over. And not sure what to do to get out of it, to get that fresh joy and love for God back? You might swing to an extreme of “beating yourself up” and piling guilt on your head that “I’m a loser and can never do the right thing.” Or you swing to the other extreme, buying the “pop-psychology” of the day by giving yourself spiritual pep talks to “suck it up and just do better” and “believe in yourself.” What is the “stuck” person to do?
What do you do when you’re overwhelmed with worry or fear? Maybe it’s job-related or over a loved one/friend who has disappointed you. And you think to yourself, “Why can’t I just snap out of this? I’m a child of God; I know that I should be beyond feeling this way. But I don’t know what to do?” So, what is “the worrier” to do?
Ever been in a situation where you know, in your head, the right way to respond to that person, but you just can’t muster any love up? You should forgive them, but you want to punch them in the face. You should just overlook that unique habit or opinion they have (after all, they’re a Christian too), but it just drives you nuts and you want to push them away. What to do when you feel no love inside?
Maybe you’re experiencing tremendous hurt and pain, from no fault of your own. You are an innocent sufferer who wonders, “when will it let up?” or “how could a good God let me keep suffering this way?” You want to believe and “just trust” but you often cry out “God, help my unbelief?” You’re not feeling very loved in the moment. Is there hope for the “hurting” person?
Please turn to Ephesians 3:14-21.
In our text, Paul reveals his heart for the Ephesian believers and provides us a model when we feel “stuck, or filled with worry, when our ‘love tank’ is dry, and when we are hurting.”
He offers a prayer that, when embraced, can help us grow to be more like Jesus in every situation in this life.
He calls us to: remember your position and power in Christ.
BACKGROUND
Paul is writing to a group of believers in Ephesus. Overall, it appears to be a healthy church. 
In chapter 1:1-14, Paul gives thanks for God’s work of redemption in them (Father, Son, and Spirit). And in 1:15-23 he reveals his first prayer for them, that God would help them know and experience what that God has done in saving them.
In chapter 2, he continues to explain what God has done for them, giving them eternal life and freeing them from the power of sin (2:1-10). Then he explains the “mystery” of God’s work to unify Jewish and Gentile believers into one body, a temple that the Spirit is building to God’s glory (2:11-22).
Then we get to chapter 3:1, where Paul begins “for this reason…” But before he explains where he’s going, he interrupts himself to explain his role in the “mystery” of bringing the gospel to Gentiles, who were far away. This takes him all the way down to 3:13.
Our text, beginning in 3:14, begins with “for this reason…” picking up from 3:1, which is based on the end of chapter 2: “Because you, Gentile Ephesians, have now been united into God’s family through Christ, I offer this prayer.”
So what is it that Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, regularly prays for these Ephesian believers? These formerly idol-worshippers, who live in a pagan city, with many options that call for their allegiance, worship, and trust. What is his burden for these believers?
And how can we incorporate the apostle’s prayer into our lives, to lead us to greater maturity, love, and service to others?
BIG IDEA: Remember your position and power in Christ. If we are to grow to be like Jesus and glorify him, we must remember our position and power in Christ.
A God-Honoring Approach to Prayer (3:14-15)
Before we get into the content of the prayer (vv.16-21), we need to see Paul’s disposition towards God as he prays to him.

Approach God Humbly (14)
First, we see Paul’s humility. The normal posture of prayer in Scripture is to pray standing up. So a “kneeling before God” or, literally, a “bowing of my knees” before the Father shows Paul’s humble approach.
We need to realize who we’re talking to in prayer: the Lord and Creator of the Universe! As Paul says in 1:3-4, it is God’s kindness and mercy that allow us to even call on him in prayer, to call him Father (adopted through his Son), and that gives us access to his throne.
And we need to acknowledge his wisdom; that God’s ways are best.
So approach God humbly, when asking him to help you grow.

Approach God Eagerly (15-16a)
We need to approach God humbly, but also eagerly expecting him to answer.

Because He is the Source of All Things (15)
We should expect him to answer because he is the source of all things.
Two textual questions: Paul goes on to describe God the Father as the one “from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” Who is “every family” and what does “derives its name” refer to?
“The whole family”: It could be that Paul is describing every family unit or ethnic group or even country on earth. 
But I think we should view this as “the whole family” of God’s children, in keeping with Paul’s theme in Ephesians. E.g. “people of God consisting of Jew/Gentile united in Christ” that God is building into a temple where God dwells (2:11-22). It includes those currently on earth and those in heaven – the saints who have died and are in God’s presence (it could extend to angels).
“Derives its name”: I think it has two implications. Just like Adam was given authority by God to name the animals in the garden – giving him authority and leadership over them – so God the Father “names” his family and family members and has authority over us.
But it also can carry the idea that, as God’s adopted children, we bear the name or likeness of our Father. Just as a human child enjoys the family rights from their father (parent), we enjoy the spiritual blessings of our Father because He has adopted us (1:5) and added us to His family spiritually. And, just like a biological child enjoys an inheritance from his father, so God has an inheritance in store for his children. A “spiritual inheritance” is mentioned 3x in chapter 1 (1:11, 14, 18).
Implications:
Because God made you, knows you, and sees you –bring your requests to him and expect him to work! 
He is not an aloof “sitcom” dad who doesn’t know what’s going on in your life, forgets your birthday, doesn’t show up to your baseball games, etc.
No, he is a powerful God, whose grace is life-changing and a caring God whose mercy is endless.
TRANSITION: So when you are feeling “stuck” spiritually, gripped by worry/fear, not sure how to move forward in love, or overwhelmed by the waves of hurt, boldly pour out your needs to him because he is the source of all things!
But secondly…
Because He Loves to Give Good Gifts (16a)
In addition to being the source of all things, your all-powerful, all-knowing, wise Father also loves to give good gifts to his children.
Jesus describes the Father’s “gift-giving” habits this way (Matt 7):
“11 So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” 
God is a good Father, who loves to meet his kids’ needs. He’s like the dad who, after hearing that his kid wants a bike, spends months researching the right style, the correct frame size, the right gears, and patiently looks for a sale. Then he spends time in the garage assembling it, airing up the tires, adjusting the brakes, etc. So that it’s perfect for that first ride on Christmas morning!
But unlike me, a dad whose gift-giving is on a limited budget, Paul reminds the Ephesians that their Heavenly Dad has unlimited resources!
He gives these spiritual gifts based on “the riches [or wealth] of His glory” (16a).
Paul sets up his request for God to do a work in their lives (16-21), by asking God to meet the request based on his incredible glory. But what does it mean that God’s glory is the source of the good gift that he gives?
Recap: It’s like Paul says this: “God, you have unlimited power and glory; the whole universe exists to acknowledge and speak of and reflect your glory, like a giant reflective mirror. God, I’m asking you to channel that power and glory and grace into this request, on behalf of my brothers and sisters in Ephesus. I know you like to give good gifts to your kids. They need to know something; they need to feel something; they need to be empowered by you to do something that they can’t know, feel, and do on their own. So God the Father, put your power to work in their lives.”
APPLICATION: Do you talk to God this way? What kind of “Father” do you pray to? Grab hold of these truths when coming to him! 
Remember the position you have – you are a child of God! Humbly, yet boldly and eagerly, come to him in prayer!
Pray boldly for your family, brothers/sisters at Life Point, and your lost friends/neighbors, based on the kind of Father that God is and the incredible wealth of his power and glory. And because you know that he loves to give good gifts to his kids!
TRANSITION: So we’ve seen the approach Paul had in prayer – humble, yet bold in his requests. And now we move to the content of his requests in vv.16b-21. 
A God-honoring Prayer.
What did he want God to do so badly for these Ephesians?
I see 4 things that Paul asked God to do for them in 3:16-19:
strengthen them (via the Spirit) – v. 16b
deepen their trust in Christ (via the Son) – v. 17a
embed them in the love of Christ (via the Son) – vv. 17b-19a
and change them for God’s glory (for the Father) – vv.19b-21
These keywords are pretty easy to see. What is not so easy is figuring out how it all fits together, because vv.14-19 is  one long sentence in Greek! I had a whiteboard in classroom 1 filled with outlines and diagrams, working out how to put the phrases together! And commentators differ on the arrangement.
I think the best way to see it is 4 different requests that build on top of each other, like a staircase. SHOW on screen.
A God-Honoring Prayer (3:16b-21); Ask God to…
Ask God to Strengthen you by the Spirit (16b; Spirit; Power)
First, Paul asks God to “strengthen them inside [their heart] with power through His Spirit” (16b).
What does it mean to be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit?
Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:16 that “though our outer person [man] is decaying, the inner person [man] is being renewed/growing.”
The “inner man” (NASB 1995) or “inner person” is a reference to our heart, who we truly are. This includes our thoughts, feelings, and will/volition.
So before he asks God to do anything else to grow them, he prayed that God would give them the spiritual, inner strength they need.
Implication: This is a reminder that our biggest problems are not external. They’re not you’re fickle boss, or financial situation, or bad back. Your “inner person” problems of fear, pride, selfishness, or lust cannot be fixed by external means of behavioral therapy, medication, or any other external fix.
To grow to be like Jesus, you need the Spirit of God to enable you to grow and change, to see your sin and turn from it, to long to be more like Jesus and not to be conformed to this world.
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead and opens the eyes of spiritually blind people, that same Spirit power is what Paul prays that God would give these Ephesians.
And if you are to grow in your walk with Jesus, you need this power, too.
So ask for it! 
TRANSITION: So we need to pray that God would enable us. Next, Paul describes what the Spirit of God enables us for.
Ask God to Deepen your trust in Christ (17a; Son; Faith/Trust)
Paul asks the Spirit to give them strength so that “Christ [Son] may dwell in their hearts through faith.”
Now you might wonder, “If Paul is praying for Christians in Ephesus, why is he asking that Jesus will ‘dwell in their hearts?’ I thought Jesus was already in their hearts?”
To be clear: this is not a request for God to “save them again,” as if they can lose Jesus’ saving grace.
The idea of “live in” or “dwell” occurs often in this letter. In 2:10, Paul says that followers of Jesus are his “workmanship” or his “work projects.” He is building us into something.
In 2:19-22 he describes Jews and Gentiles who follow Jesus as now sharing one household; and that we, along with the saints of old, are being built together into a dwelling place for God’s presence (2:21-22).
Illustration (picture of a house on screen): So think of “Christ dwelling in your hearts” this way: you are rehabbing an old house, completely gutting it to the studs. You start out with 1 bedroom, working late nights to get it ready. Once that room is ready, you can move in and stay in that 1 room. Then you move to the master bathroom, then the kitchen. You slowly make your way to the entire house.
(Illust: continued): I love this illustration from the short booklet My Heart in Christ’s Home. In it, the author imagines the Christian life like a house; Jesus moves from room to room in the house, cleaning and remodeling as he goes.
“In the library, which is the mind, Jesus finds trash and all sorts of worthless things, which he proceeds to throw out and replace with his Word.
In the dining room of [our appetites], he finds many sinful desires listed on a worldly menu. In the place of such things as prestige, materialism, and lust, he puts humility, meekness, love, and all other virtues for which believers are to hunger and thirst.
He goes through the living room of fellowship, where he finds many worldly companions and activities…
He enters the closet, where our hidden sins are kept [that we would be mortified if anyone knew were in there!]…
To have Christ dwell in our hearts through faith means for him to be at home in every corner of our life, because we believe his promises and therefore become obedient to his Word.”
To invite Christ to “dwell in your heart” is to open every door, every cabinet, pull back every curtain and say, “Enter Jesus; look around, point out my sin and foolishness. Bring it all into the light! Change me, help me grow so my heart looks more like yours!”

[Back to outline slide] So how does this “room by room” transformation happen? It happens through faith/trust in Jesus and his Word.
Paul prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”
Application: By faith or trusting in Jesus, we allow his truth to change us.
When God’s Spirit reveals spiritual apathy, we ask for renewal.
When paralyzed by fear, we turn to God’s promises and ask him to give us rest in him.
When he prompts us to show love to that person, we obey by faith (even when we don’t feel like it).
And when we are hurting, we turn to the grace and healing that he offers in his truth and in the company of his saints.
But to show this trust and obey what God reveals is hard – we need help! We need power, grace; hence the prayer for the Spirit to strengthen us.
So ask God for it! He loves to give these kinds of good gifts to his children!
TRANSITION: We ask for God to strengthen us by his Spirit and to deepen our trust in his Son, which transforms us from the inside out. 
Next, Paul describes what happens when we are controlled by Christ and his love.
Ask God to Embed you in the Christ’s Love (17b-19a; Son; Love)
Overview - Let’s read vv. 17-19 again.
We need to ask the Spirit to strengthen us; to deepen our faith/trust in Christ and his Word; and now he highlights love. But, as the song goes, “what’s love got to do with it?”
I think the best way to see these phrases is this: Paul asks God to embed, surround, and immerse the Ephesians in the love of Christ so that they can show Christ’s love to one another (vv.17b-19a).
So 2 aspects of love are seen here: first, they need to show love; but to show love, they need to experience Christ’s love.

Show Love – v. 17b
I think if you were to ask Paul, “why is it so important that these Christians be controlled and guided by Christ?” he would say “so they can love one another.” 
Paul uses 2 metaphors in v. 17b to emphasize their need to show love: rooted like a tree and grounded like the foundation of a building.
Roots and foundations are crucial to the health of both objects. So love (selflessly wanting the good of another and giving yourself for their good) is to be the foundation of their relationships in the church, a gathering of believers from various backgrounds and cultures, now united in Christ.
But why love?
All through the NT, we see that love as the key virtue of the follower of Jesus [post on screen]:
“there are three: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:1-13)
“let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7-8)
“we love because [God] first loved us” (1 John 4:19)
“the fruit of the Spirit is love…” (Gal. 5:22-23)
“they will know that you are my disciples by the love you show to one another” (John 13:34-35)
And, in context, Paul had just described (2:11-22) how God is forming a new dwelling, a spiritual temple of people from different backgrounds, different cultures (Revelation tells us even different languages). The only “mortar” strong enough to keep them together in unity is love.
And if they are going to obey the commands in chapters 4-6, they need to show love. Commands like “keep the unity in the church”; build up one another; put off your old way (flesh, selfishness) and put on the new way (love, service); submit to one another; be holy like God is holy; etc.

Implication/Application: 
Illust: Let’s think about those situations that cause worry/fear. Working with teens (and having them), you realize that  this is huge one: “What are they thinking about me right now? What if they tell someone what I just told them? What if they ignore me or ghost my texts?” (And we all remember that stage, right?) We know that “perfect love casts out fear.” So ask God to give you a love for others that is stronger than the worry and fear in your heart.
For us, as a church, to be a gospel light in this community, love must be at the root/heart of our interactions with one another. It must permeate our thoughts towards others; our inclinations; our prayers for each other; and our words/actions.
You might say, “Pastor Tim, that’s a great aspiration. To always be loving and sacrificial with other believers. But you don’t understand! It’s not easy loving him or her. It just seems impossible in this situation. I can’t do it!” 
And it is in that moment that we need to turn to Paul’s prayer and realize, we aren’t good enough, kind enough, naturally sacrificial enough to display this kind of love to one another. We need help! We need strength, enabling, we need grace. So let’s pray for it!
TRANSITION: So, Paul prays that they would be “rooted and grounded in love,” choosing good for others.
But how can God transform my selfish heart to “look to others’ interests and not just my own?” What does it take for God to remodel my heart so that love thrives there? 
Experience Love – vv.18-19a
Overview 
It’s not enough for us to simply hear the command “love others” and to muster up our strength to go and do it.
All throughout Scripture, esp. Paul’s letters, when there is a command to obey, God provides the enabling grace and strength. And it usually starts in the mind/heart.
And that is exactly what Paul prays here in vv.18-19a.
If you are going to show love, you need to be filled with Christ’s love.

Quick textual note: 
Commentators debate about what the dimensions are describing in v. 18. The Greek text just has “what is the breadth and length and height and depth,” without giving it a noun/referent.
Some say that it is the “mystery” of the gospel going to the Gentiles. Older authors have noted that it describes the dimensions of the cross or the New Jerusalem (coming down from heaven). Some say it is God’s power (described with dimensions elsewhere).
But I think it is best to see the dimensions as describing Christ’s love. Paul says they need to show love in 17b (“rooted and grounded in love”). Then in v. 19a he says you need to “know love,” the love of Christ. 

Experience Christ’s incredible love
I think the point of the 4 dimensions and the description of Christ’s love as “surpassing knowledge” is that they would be amazed, blown away, embedded in, and transformed by the love of Christ.
As one author described it, Christ’s love for us is:
Wide enough to reach the entire world and beyond (1:9, 10, 20)
Long enough to stretch from eternity to eternity (1:4-6, 18; 3:9)
High enough to rise both Jew and Gentile to the “heavenly places” with Christ Jesus (1:13; 2:6)
Deep enough to rescue sinners like you and me from the depths of our rebellion and pride (2:1-5; 6:11, 12)
We see this love in Jesus. Not only did he save individuals who come to him by faith (3:17), but he is building us together as a unified church body (5:25, 29, 30).
And, in fact, this love that Jesus shows is so amazing that we can’t fully comprehend it. It’s a paradox that Paul prays that we would know this immense love that is incomprehensible or surpassing knowledge (v. 19a).
As the hymn writer wrote (“the Love of God”:
The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell;
the guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
and pardoned from his sin.
Chorus: O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure:
the saints’ and angels’ song!
The love of Christ “surpasses knowledge.” IOW it isn’t a merely intellectual, academic thing. You can know it and experience it!
Illust: It’s like your first romance in junior high or high school (or maybe later). Your younger sibling or friend is trying to figure out what’s going on inside you – your cheeks are red, your palms and pits are all sweaty, you’re stumbling over your words, you’re giving him/her looks you’ve never given anyone before. But the moment you go to describe it, the words fail you. You just “know it, you feel it” deep in your gut.

Application: Can I be honest here? Sometimes these descriptions of “feeling the love of Christ” or “embracing his care for us” make some Christians uncomfortable. They like to talk about doctrines of justification and sanctification; they debate apologetics or worldviews; they’re okay describing God’s love as “action, not feeling.”
But God wants to radically change all of you! Yes your mind/thinking, but also your feeling, desiring, sensing, and willing.
How long has it been since you just soaked in the wonder of God’s love for you in Christ? You can do those in many different ways: saying it out loud in a prayer of praise/thanks; or writing out a poem to express your amazement of his love; reading a psalm of praise out loud; or rolling down the windows on your drive and belting out a song describing God’s love: Jesus, Thank You; 10,000 Reasons; or I Love You Lord.
Christ’s love is something to be experienced; to bask in; to embed yourself in; to let it change how you think, feel, react, and act towards others.
And prayers like these or those in the psalms are great ways to express your praise and admiration of God and his love!    

TRANSITION: In the staircase of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he has prayed for the inner strength of the Spirit, which leads to the indwelling Christ who cleans up “every room” of our hearts by faith, which results in us knowing Christ’s love and showing that love to others. 
And finally, this leads to God changing us for his glory. And that, my friends, is the reason for that every single thing in the universe exists! To give praise and glory to our great, Creator God!
Ask God to Change you for his glory (14, 19b, 20-21; Father; Transformation/Glory)
Look at v. 19b: “that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” What does “the fullness of God” mean? I summarize it as “to be changed/transformed for God’s glory.” 
This does not mean that we become “gods” as some religions and cults teach.
And it doesn’t mean that we can ever achieve perfection or a state where we no longer need growth and progress.
Turn with me to Eph. 4:13. Paul says in 4:11-12 that he has placed us in a church family to grow and serve; and that he has given offices (apostle, evangelist, pastor/elder) to equip and build up the church body. Then in v. 13 he reveals where it’s all headed, the end goal of the church: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man [again, church as a body] to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
My summary: the goal of the church is that the more we are embedded in God’s love for us in Jesus, the more we look like Jesus. Paul prays that we would imitate Jesus in how we live and act towards one another. And as we’re transformed, it brings glory to God!

Application: This implies change, growth, and progress. The Christian life is an upward, progressive journey of being like Jesus. And it is fueled by us remembering what Christ has already done for us in his love and is doing for us by his grace.
Paul ends this prayer – and the first half of Ephesians – with a doxology or a praise to God for his glory (vv. 20-21). He started with a humble address to God the Father; and he ends with a bold word of praise to Him. I’ll end with that doxology in just a few minutes.
CONCLUSION: Wherever you find yourself this morning, know that God loves to answer these kinds of prayers from his children. 
Remember your position and power you have in Christ.
Gospel Call: Before I pray, I wonder if there is someone sitting here who is not a follower of Jesus; you wouldn’t say you’re a Christian. But you're curious, wanting to learn about it. And you’re thinking, “I got lots of struggles like you described – fear/worry, emptiness inside, lack of love, etc.”
Can I tell you something? Part of the beauty of giving your life to Christ and following him, is that he frees you from the power of those things. God doesn’t take away the hard things, but he gives you wisdom and strength and love to endure them well. And he promises that this isn’t it; he’s coming back and remake this world for us to live with him and enjoy him forever. He offers prayers like these for his children to draw strength and focus our lives on what matters and what brings true joy and peace.
So come to Jesus today. He calls you to bring yourself to him; to trust him to forgive you and clean your heart. His burden his light; his joy is rich; He’s a good Father who loves to give good gifts to his kids! Talk to one of us, if you have questions.
4 Prayers: I’d like to conclude by giving 4 brief prayers, for those struggling today in one of the 4 categories I mentioned at the beginning. I will model them after Paul’s prayers. Please join me in prayer as we go to God’s throne of grace:
“Father, I’m so thankful that we can come boldly to you in prayer. Not based on our achievements or our worth, but based on what your Son, Jesus, did for us and the salvation that you have applied to our hearts.
Stuck: I bring before you the “stuck in a rut” heart this morning. Maybe their eyes are glossing over your Word as they read it. Their thoughts are scattered as they go to pray. Help them, God! Strengthen their mind and heart to focus on the amazing love and care you’ve shown them in Christ. May they experience your love and joy in a fresh, real way. May your Word come alive to them and may they be fueled to show your love to others this week.
Worry/fear: And some, Father, are gripped by fear and worry. I know that some struggle to get out with groups of people. So this is a big deal that they’re just here in our church building. Some are so worried by what others think that they’re paralyzed to do what they know is right. Father, please free them from their chains of worry/fear. Help them to know the love of Christ that casts out that fear. Help them to see that what you say about them, as your child in Christ, is the most important thing that can be said about them.
“No Love” Feeling: And, no doubt, there are some here who know what you want them to do. They’re staring at it right in the face. But they just haven’t pulled the strength together to pic up the phone, or send that text, or talk face to face. There is no drive in them to do the loving thing, to overlook the cutting remark, to move towards them in forgiveness. For him or her, God help them to be overwhelmed by your sacrificial love in Christ. May they know its breadth, length, height, and depth – may they know your love and care in a way that they can’t even describe with words. And, feeling your love and care, may they take that next step of love, to move in love, for your glory.
“Hurting/Suffering”: Others here are just hurting. And I know there are many who are hurting. Suffering from things that were not their choice: painful joints, a wayward sibling/child, difficult mental issues, or painful words/actions done to them. God, I don’t know why you’re allowing the suffering and pain; we don’t get easy answers to these things. But we know that you are a good Father who, even you don’t always give us what we want, you do give us what we need to live a godly life before you. Father, surround them with your care; May they take joy and comfort in their high priest, Jesus, who endured all types of suffering on their behalf. Help them to know and feel his love and care. And may we all surround each other, but especially the hurting, with love and care and encouragement. “Weeping with those who weep, as we also rejoice with those who rejoice.”
Gospel Call: Lastly, please open someone’s eyes today to see the beauty of Christ and draw them to yourself in salvation. May they cast themselves at your feet for mercy and grace, based on the work of Christ. Cleanse them of their sin and adopt them into your family, I pray.”
 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”