For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [a]of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:14-21
After Paul wrote of the divine mystery of God, bringing the Gentiles into the covenant and making them a part of his plan to reorder the world under Christ, he prays this prayer. The first half of this letter has addressed the work that God has done for us. He chose us for adoption; he redeemed us through Christ from our former slavery, gave us his Spirit, and proclaimed the good news to us through apostles and prophets. He brought us into his presence, the heavenly places in Christ. Now what? Now Paul prays. We, the adopted former slaves, have been brought into God’s household. Like all household members, we have responsibilities assigned to us. We are a part of God’s cosmic restoration plan. But before Paul comes to that, he prays, for it is only in prayer that we become the faithful servants God calls us to be.
A pastor's job is first and foremost, to pray. No shepherd can lead his sheep if he does not first pray for them. I am tempted to rush to the work of men, admonishing them to complete the work God calls them to, warning them of danger, and encouraging them in their walk. But all is empty without the power of prayer. Paul says here that the Father can "do exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (emphasis mine). What though, stirs the power of the Spirit in the lives of believers? The prayer of their shepherd, as in Paul's prayer here. Certainly do the work; counsel, teach, encourage, admonish, and warn, but first, always first, pray.
