“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…”
— Ephesians 3:16

It was the summer of 1996, and I was sitting at the dining room table eager to preach a series on renewal and revival. Then I felt a tap in my soul, followed quickly by this surprising thought: Yes, Gene, the Church needs revival, but I want to start with you.

I was shocked! Me? That couldn’t be, but soon I came to discover that my walk with God was mediocre at best.

That began a nineteen-year journey to get to know God more intimately – to walk with Him and bask in His presence. That’s not to say that there haven’t been times when I failed Him miserably, because there have been. But in the end, I am now closer to God than I’ve ever been; more content, more at peace. I’m learning to walk with God, rather than just doing stuff for Him. It’s a great feeling!

On this journey, one of the prayers in the Bible that has meant a great deal to me is Ephesians 3:14-21. It’s a prayer that hungers for the love of God, “to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” Whether you read this prayer in silence or out loud, each line builds on the next, ending with this triumphant crescendo: “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

REFLECTION
1. Reflect on your relationship with God. Is it more about what you can “get from Him”, what you can “do for Him”, or your intimate “walk with Him”?
2.  Read through Ephesians 3:14-21, stopping after each line to reflect on God’s desire for you to know His love and presence in a more intimate way.

Eugene Neudorf is a church consultant and transitional pastor working with the C&MA in Canada and other denominations. Eugene is also the author of “A Light to All Japan: The Story of Susan Dyck.” He and Rhona, his wife of forty wonderful years, have two grown sons, both in full-time ministry, along with five of the cutest grandchildren the world has ever produced!

Photo credit: Holly Norval via Visual Hunt / CC BY