I pray that, according to the riches of his glory...(God) may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power 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, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(New Revised Standard Version)
Have you ever felt like a small child, alone and defenceless, even if you weren't a child? Do you know that feeling of insecurity and loneliness? Or perhaps you remember a time when you felt the weight of the world was upon your shoulders? Possibly this describes how you feel at present!
St Paul had spent two years in Ephesus, and this letter includes this prayer for his friends to receive spiritual blessings - like the inner strength to carry out the work to which they had been called; to resist temptations; to endure hardship and persecution; and to be steadfast in their faith. He prays that they will receive power from God and in a lovely metaphor from the garden, that they will be 'rooted and grounded in love'.
At present I am removing very large brambles from the garden, and can tell you that some are attached to a monster root deep under ground, and are virtually impossible to remove. Being 'rooted and grounded in love' has taken on a new perspective. We are not alone and defenceless, we have God's Spirit with us, and we simply need to ask His help to remain rooted and grounded in love with each other and with God.
Heavenly Father,
help us to remember that we are not alone,
that you are with us each day;
that Your Spirit guides us to remain steadfast in our faith,
and constant in our love of Your Son, Jesus Christ
so that we will remain rooted and grounded in love.
Amen.
You might like to find out about Ephesus in the time of St Paul. A good place to start is the following website, although there are others: http://bibleplaces.com
It's also worth noting that scholars are not completely certain who wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians. It was always assumed that it was St Paul, but it may well have been written by one of Paul's disciples. Look at the discussion on: http://britannica.com/topic/Letter-of-Paul-to-the-Ephesians