How to Pray for One Another: Paul’s Prayer in Ephesians 3:16–19
The Bible encourages us to pray for one another. But sometimes, if we are honest, we just don’t know what to pray.
Well, if you ever feel like that, here’s some good news. In his letters in the New Testament Paul tells us the kind of things he prayed for his fellow believers, and his prayers can both inform and inspire us in our praying for each other at Christ Church.
So, in my next few reflections over the coming weeks I plan to unpack some of the prayers of Paul in the hope that it will provide some material for us as we pray for one another.
Paul’s Prayer in Ephesians 3:16–19
Our first prayer is found in Ephesians 3:16-19:
" 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
This is one of the most beautiful and expansive prayers in the New Testament. It’s a prayer that doesn’t just ask God for help—it asks God to reshape the inner life of His people so they can live rooted, strengthened, and overflowing with Christ’s love. And it’s a prayer that can become a pattern for how we pray for one another.
Five Things Paul Prays for His Fellow Believers
Pray for Inner Strength (v16)
Paul begins by asking that believers be “strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (v16). He doesn’t start with circumstances, solutions, or success. He starts with the heart. Paul knows that discouragement, fear, and weariness are fought first on the inside. When the Spirit strengthens the inner life, people can stand firm even when outer pressures remain. So, pray that, through the Spirit, fellow church members will have fresh resilience, courage, and spiritual stamina—not just a change in their situation, but a change in their inner strength.
Pray for Christ to Dwell in Their Hearts (v17)
Next, Paul prays that Christ may “dwell in your hearts through faith” (v17). The word “dwell” means to settle down, to make a home. Paul longs for Christ not to be a visitor in their lives but the One who occupies every room of the heart. So, pray that Christ’s presence becomes the organising centre of someone’s life—their decisions, their hopes, their identity.
Pray for Them to Be Rooted and Grounded in Love (v17)
He continues to pray for them in the same verse using two images:
Rooted like a tree drawing life from deep soil
Grounded like a building resting on a solid foundation
He wants believers to be anchored in the love of God so deeply that nothing can uproot or move them. So, pray that people in our church will be steadied and nourished by God’s love, especially those feeling shaken or uncertain.
Pray for Them to Grasp the Love of Christ (v18)
Paul goes on to ask that they may have power to grasp the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love (v18) —a love too large to measure, too rich to exhaust. This isn’t just intellectual knowledge; it’s experiential. Paul wants them to know Christ’s love in a way that is deeply personal, filling their imagination, healing their wounds, and reshaping their confidence. So, pray that others will experience Christ’s love not as a theoretical idea but as a lived reality—something felt, trusted, and lived from.
Pray for Them to Be Filled with the Fullness of God (v19)
Finally, Paul prays that believers will be so saturated with God’s presence that His character, His peace, and His joy overflow from their lives – that they “may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God” (v 19). Wow, now that is a big prayer to pray for someone! So, pray that God’s fullness will spill into the everyday lives of those around you—into their conversations, their decisions, their relationships – everything - that they may become more and more like God.
A Simple Template for Praying for One Another
Paul’s prayer gives us a simple but powerful template as we pray for each other:
Pray for inner strength
Pray for Christ’s deep presence
Pray for rootedness in God’s love
Pray for a growing personal experience of Christ’s all-surpassing love
Pray for God’s fullness to fill and overflow
This is a prayer you can whisper for someone in church, speak over your small group, or use in quiet moments at home. It’s a prayer that lifts our eyes from quick fixes to deep transformation.
A Prayer to Pray Today
Lord, strengthen us in our inner being. Let Christ dwell deeply in our hearts. Root us in Your love. Help us grasp how wide and long and high and deep Your love truly is. And fill us with all Your fullness, so that Your life flows through ours. Amen.
Blessings, Rev Rob
