Ephesians 3:16 “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;”
In his prayer (Ephesians 3:14-21), Paul prayed for the Brethren that the Lord would “grant” them “to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man”; that is, that the Lord would empower them with His Holy “Spirit” working “in the inner man”. The “inner man” refers to our “born again” (John 3:1-8) hearts and minds. When the tribulations of this present life are plaguing us, we can become overwhelmed and discouraged. We can become so discouraged that we will begin to think, why should I struggle to go on, my troubles are not getting any better, it is the same old troubles day after day with no relief. Similarly, the Lord prayed for Peter, saying to him, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:32). As human beings, we can fail to rest in our God-given “faith” and become worn down by our perpetuating tribulations. But, as our Lord and Paul prayed, when the Lord sends His Holy “Spirit” to “strengthen” us “with might … in the inner man”; we can “lift up” our “hands which hang down, and” “lift up” our “feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for” our “feet” (Hebrews 12:12). When the Holy “Spirit” strengthens us “in the inner man”; that strength is then communicated to our minds and limbs so that we can stand up straight and tall and boldly declare “I know that my redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25) and “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13). With this blessed strength “in the inner man”, we subdue our discouragement and fear and prayerfully ask “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalms 116:12). As this confusing Coronavirus issue and the chaos in our Nation’s cities drag on with no end in sight, let us join together and earnestly pray that our Lord will “strengthen” us “with might by his Spirit in the inner man”! I am confident that He will!