Introduction

Friends, if your week has felt like a whirlwind—emails stacking, dishes piling, deadlines looming—take a breath. Pull your chair up close to the kindness of God. This is a moment for your heart to be heard and your hope to be helped. Have you ever reached for strength like you reach for your keys, only to realize you’re fresh out? Have you ever whispered, “Lord, I’m at the end of my rope,” and wondered if He heard? He has. And He does. The God who clothes the lilies and counts the stars has not lost track of you.

Some of us came in sturdy on the outside but thin on the inside. Others came in carrying quiet griefs, secret questions, and silent fears. And yet, the Father of mercies delights to meet us right where we are. He doesn’t shame the tired or scold the small; He supplies strength for the soul. Hear this: when your hands are weak, His heart is willing. When your will is wobbly, His Word is steady. When courage flickers, His compassion fuels the flame.

E.M. Bounds once wrote, “God shapes the world by prayer.” What a truth to treasure. When our knees bend, heaven moves. When our lips ask, grace answers. When our spirits are faint, His Spirit strengthens. Prayer is the porch light that leads us home to the Father’s welcome, the path where our worries meet His wisdom, the place where empty hearts receive holy help.

Today, we turn our attention to one sentence from Paul that carries a world of hope. It speaks of riches—heaven’s riches, not the kind that rust—and power—Spirit-given power, not the puffed-up kind that fades. It tells us that the help we need most doesn’t trickle in from the edges; it rises within by the Holy Spirit, strengthening the person no one else can see but God knows best: the inner person. This is strength for your Monday morning and your midnight moments. This is stamina for the storm and peace for the pressure.

As we open our hearts to this word, expect three gifts from God’s good hand: strength drawn from the riches of His glory, the Spirit’s power received in the inner person, and growth in Christ through faithful obedience. If you’re shaky, take courage. If you’re skeptical, bring your questions. If you’re spent, let the Savior speak softly to your soul. He loves to lift the lowly and steady the stumbling. He has more than enough for today.

Scripture Reading Ephesians 3:16 (KJV): “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;”

Opening Prayer Father, we come needy and we come near. According to the riches of Your glory, strengthen us with might by Your Spirit in the inner person. Where our courage is thin, clothe us with Your comfort. Where our faith is frayed, stitch us together with Your steadfast love. Quiet the noise within us so we can hear Your whisper. Give us hearts that trust, wills that obey, and hands ready to serve. Fill the weary with Your wonder, the anxious with Your assurance, and the hurting with Your healing. Let Jesus be precious to us, present with us, and preeminent over us. We ask in His strong and saving name, Amen.

Draw Strength from the Riches of His Glory

Paul prays for a gift. He asks that God would grant strength. He ties that gift to a vast store. He calls it “the riches of His glory.” That phrase opens a wide door. It points to God’s worth, His beauty, His fullness. It tells us there is more supply than need. It tells us the measure matches the Giver.

“According to” sets the scale. A king gives in a way that fits a king. A fountain pours in a way that fits a fountain. God gives in a way that fits God. He does not scrape. He does not ration. He gives strength in line with His greatness. Think of a wide sea. Think of endless sky. That is the measure tied to this prayer.

So ask with a free heart. Ask with real need. Ask at dawn and at dusk. Ask when faith feels thin and when faith feels strong. Hold up the words of Scripture and say them back to Him. “You said, according to the riches of Your glory.” This is not a trick. This is trust. Bring your lack. He brings His wealth. Wear the words in your mouth like bread.

There is a way to wait here. Quiet your pace. Sit still for a few minutes. Read the verse slow. Put your name in it. Then open your hands and breathe. Say, “Father, I receive what You give.” Stay there a bit longer than feels easy. Strength begins to rise when pride begins to fall. Strength grows where asking grows.

The prayer also names what the gift does. “To be strengthened with might.” This is not a flash that fades. This is steady power for a real day. Power to stand when work stacks up. Power to love when love costs. Power to keep your word when no one watches. Power to pray again when words feel few.

This strength holds under weight. It keeps your mind clear in noise. It guides your tongue to soft answers. It helps you forgive when the wound still stings. It helps you tell the truth when a lie would be easier. It helps you stay present at the table with your people. It helps you take the next right step, then the next one after that.

Often this power feels simple. A calm thought. A clean yes or no. A settled heart that will not hurry. A small fire of courage that keeps burning. The Spirit builds capacity inside you. Like muscles after many lifts, your inner life gains tone through many little obediences. Each prayer shapes you. Each act of trust adds strength to strength.

Scripture agrees. “He giveth power to the faint.” “My grace is sufficient for thee.” These lines are more than ink. They are food. When you feed on them, strength works from the inside out. You find you can do what Jesus asks. You find you can endure what you feared. You find you can rejoice, even here.

The prayer tells us how this happens. “By His Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is not far. He lives with you and in you. He brings the life of Jesus to your life. He takes what Jesus won and applies it to your day. He reminds. He convicts. He comforts. He empowers.

You receive His help in simple ways. Open the Bible and ask for light. Speak to God with plain words. Sing a psalm while you wash and while you walk. Sit with wise friends who love Christ. Confess sin fast and clear. Thank God for small mercies. Ask again. Wait a little. The Spirit uses these means to pour strength into weary hearts.

Pray with detail. “Holy Spirit, strengthen me for this meeting.” “Strengthen me to bless my child.” “Strengthen me to say no to that screen.” “Strengthen me to forgive that name.” Keep it short. Keep it honest. Expect a real supply for a real need. Many times the answer is quiet. Many times the answer is quick. All the time the answer is enough.

Then watch the fruit. Love shows up where anger used to lead. Joy hums under the noise. Peace holds like a seatbelt. Patience makes space for another’s weakness. Kindness finds words you did not plan. Faithfulness keeps promises. Gentleness lowers the volume. Self-control sets a wise pace. This is the Spirit’s work when He strengthens you.

Paul also prays for the place this power lands. “In the inner man.” God goes to the center. He meets you where thoughts form and desires rise. He meets you where fears hide and hopes live. He meets you where choices are born. The work there is quiet and deep, like spring water under ground.

When God strengthens the inside, the outside follows in time. Reactions slow and grow wise. Words come cleaner. Eyes see people, not tasks. Hands open to give. Feet move toward hard things with fresh grace. You carry peace into rooms that forgot it. You bring patience to moments that waste it. This is the mark of inner strength.

There are ways to tend this inner place. Guard what you take in. Let Scripture stay on your tongue through the day. Put a verse on a card and carry it. Tell the truth to your soul when lies press in. Rest your body on purpose. Eat and sleep like a steward. Thank God out loud for three things each night. Remember His past help by name. These simple habits make room for steady power.

Hard days will still come. Pressure will still rise. Plans will still change. Yet the inner person can stay supplied. Like a tree planted by water, there is a hidden stream. The wind may beat on the leaves. The trunk holds. That quiet hold is the gift Paul is asking for you. And God is glad to give it.

Receive the Spirit's Power in the Inner Person

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