Introduction
When we pray at church, we often think of people's needs. Maybe someone is sick with cancer, perhaps a family member is having trouble in school, or a coworker feels stressed at work. It's good to pray for these things. But sometimes, while focusing on daily problems, we forget to pray for what's most important: people's love for and growth in Christ. Today, Paul shows us how to do this.

Today’s Scripture
Ephesians 3:14-19 (New Living Translation)

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources, he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Explanation and Reflection
Paul kneels down, knowing who God is and what He can do. What can we learn from Paul about praying for others? When we pray for others, we should pray for their…

1. Inner Strength
   Internal fortitude matters. The strength of our inner world always influences the management of our outer world. This is why it is critical to pray not just for people’s outer needs but also for their faith, soul, and character.
2. Hearts
   James K.A. Smith stated, “You are what you love. You just don’t love what you think.” There are the things we say we love, and then there are the things we actually love. Those things we actually love are usually shown by our attitude and actions, not our words. There can be a huge gap between our stated loves and our lived-out loves. Paul prays for Christ to be at the center of both our words and our actions by taking up residence in our hearts.
3. Rooting
   Storms always come in life. It’s not a question of “if” but “when.” When they do come, how deep we are rooted usually determines whether we remain standing. Being rooted in Christ matters. Jesus told a parable about a man scattering seeds in Matthew 13:1-23. Where those seeds landed and whether or not they took deep root determined their destiny. We need to be praying for where people land and that they will become deeply rooted.
4. Understanding the Scope of God’s Love
   Throughout the New Testament, Paul repeatedly discusses the “mystery of Christ.” Sometimes, this mystery refers to the unfathomable size of God’s love. It’s so big that Paul often prays for people to better understand it. We need to pray that, among all the love in the world, those we pray for will understand that God’s love is bigger and better than anything the world has to offer.
5. Spiritual Wholeness
   At the core of all this talk about our interior being is the goal of spiritual wholeness. Paul prayed for people to be “complete.” This is similar to his prayer for the believers at Philippi: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”(Philippians 1:6). Paul saw the faith journey as one where all parts of a person need to grow and come together. Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). We must pray for people’s hearts, minds, and souls to be surrendered to Christ alone.

Question of the Day
Here's a question for you to think about and apply:
Who is one person you can pray for this week and lift up their interior world rather than their external world? Pray for their heart, mind, and soul.