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This passage is well-known among Christians - as it should be, for the truths are unimaginably exciting! - but is always worth having a look at. The temptation is to lean on the second half (verses 18,19) but in the original Greek the idea comes all at once, so today we will try to look at the passage in its entirety.

Background

This passage is immediately preceded by an idea by Paul that reveals his calling, and his heart for God, and God's people. Paul states that even though he is suffering there is no need to mourn because he is in a relationship with God, and his suffering is for the benefit of his readers. This prayer is born from this idea, that Paul has some awareness of God's grace in his life more than the readers in Ephesus do; surely therefore it will be of benefit to us to 'eavesdrop' on Paul's thoughts as a key to somehow grasping that same awareness:

'For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.' Ephesians 3:14-19

...the Father...

Paul begins by stating where he takes his prayers: 'before the Father'. The bowing of his knees is an obvious physical act of humility and acknowledgment of God's holiness - his power is revealed in the next few words, that 'every family in heaven and on earth is named' from God. So should we all bow our knees whenever we pray? The answer must be 'perhaps' (cheeky I know). Sometimes, when we are feeling humbled in the presence of God in a time of intimate worship or prayer then falling to our knees is a valid response, but surely we must recognise that God is greater than us all the time! Humility must be an act we perform at every moment of our lives, whether that is physically by what we do, or the words we use, or even our thoughts; God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5), and so, in recognising that, our attitude should be one of humility.

...the riches of His glory...

Paul's humility before God is not a show; it all comes from a recognition of who Jesus is - His glory can be counted as riches! The Greek word is ploutos, meaning an 'abundance' - there's the thought of 'more than one needs' - God's glory is so great that it is beyond measure. This qualifies Him as one who is worthy of praise, and Paul here touches on the paradox that is the truth of Christianity: Even in God's glory He is love and by His glory can, and does, bless us by answering our prayers - who is there like Him (Micah 7:18)?

...power...in your inner being...

This glorious truth continues in this next idea that God can, and will, bless even us. God's power is at work in us the moment we become Christians as God puts His Spirit in us as a deposit - a promise for the future. This is not a few nice words and thoughts but so much more - we will be strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being - God doesn't sit outside of time and space, reaching in to bless our lives but strengthens us powerfully from the inside out by the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in each one of us - what a fantastic gift!

...grounded in love...

This passage surrounds this key idea. The first half relates to God's reaching down to us, and the second half relates to our perception of Him, but these few words are perhaps the most important of them all - 'rooted and grounded in love'. What a description of the history of God's attitude towards His people; what a description of the cross; what a description of Christianity and the Bible! When Paul is talking to the Christians in Corinth about their 'denominational' differences he spends the whole of 1 Corinthians 13 taking a long, hard look at the most important thing of all; regardless of everything else we think or experience, love is the greatest! If everything we do is 'rooted and grounded in love' then we will be acting as God would, because God is love (1John 4:8,1 John 4:16).

...surpasses knowledge...

Of course, the truth is that the love of Christ is so great that it surpasses knowledge. Knowledge is summed up in my dictionary as 'the sum of what is known' - that means that if you were to take everything that everyone knew about everything, it would still not be as vast as the love of Christ. And as knowledge grows, Jesus' love will always surpass it - how can we not be blown away by His love for us, exceeding something which is potentially infinite in itself?!

...filled...

This last idea Paul puts into play here is as mind-blowing as the rest of this passage; we can be 'filled with all the fullness of God'. Simply unbelievable - every space in us can be filled with every part of this infinite God, overflowing with infinite love. Could there be a more incredible, life-changing truth for believers? We are to be 'filled' - there should not be a single area of our lives that does not have God all over it, so we should trust in Him and allow Him entry!

Conclusion

This article has been much longer than intended; here is the summary for those that have gotten this far: we are to be humble before the God of the universe, He who is truly worthy of our praise. He has given us the greatest gift of all, His Holy Spirit, and all He does is grounded in love; we should imitate that. What's amazing is that His love is beyond measure, yet somehow we can be filled with all His fullness. Incredible. How can we respond except by laying down absolutely everything in our lives as worship to Him?

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Trusting God Yields Happiness