Ephesians 3:13 asks believers not to lose heart over the troubles Paul is facing, because those troubles are actually working for their good. Paul wrote this letter from prison, and he is telling the church in Ephesus that his hardships on their behalf are a source of glory for them rather than a reason for discouragement.
Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
Ephesians 3:13 (WEB)
What Ephesians 3:13 Means
The verse begins with “Therefore,” which points back to the preceding verses. Paul has just described the boldness and confident access that believers have to God through faith in Christ. Because of that access, he asks the Ephesians not to become discouraged. The request is directed at their hearts, their inner resolve, rather than their circumstances.
The word “troubles” refers to the suffering Paul is enduring, which he connects directly to the Ephesians. He says these troubles are “for you,” meaning he is suffering on behalf of the church, likely through his mission to the Gentiles and his imprisonment for preaching the gospel. Paul then makes a striking claim: these troubles are “your glory.” He does not say the suffering itself is pleasant, but he sees it as serving the church’s honor and advancement.
The verse does not promise that believers will never face trouble or that their leaders will be spared hardship. It also does not explain every detail of how suffering produces glory. What it offers is a perspective: when faithful people suffer for the sake of others, that suffering can be woven into God’s larger purposes, and it can strengthen the hope of those who benefit from it.
The Context of Ephesians 3:13
Ephesians is traditionally attributed to Paul, who writes as a prisoner, and it is addressed to believers in and around Ephesus, a major city in western Asia Minor. The letter moves from describing the unity of Jew and Gentile in one body (chapter 2) to Paul’s own calling to proclaim the “unsearchable riches of Christ” to the Gentiles (chapter 3). Paul’s imprisonment is part of that calling, which is why he speaks so openly about it here.
The verses just before and after help explain the verse. Verses 10 through 12 describe God’s eternal plan to make his wisdom known through the church, and verses 14 through 16 begin Paul’s prayer that the Ephesians would be strengthened in their inner being. Verse 13 sits in the middle as a bridge, moving from the grand purpose of God to Paul’s tender concern for his readers. Read in this setting, the request not to lose heart is not a sudden change of subject but a pastoral pause before Paul prays for them.
Key Phrases in Ephesians 3:13
2 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
(WEB)
Paul writes here that although his outer self is wasting away, his inner self is being renewed day by day. This connects closely to the call not to lose heart, showing that the same apostle who suffered for others also knew how to resist discouragement from within.
Colossians 1:24
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly…
(WEB)
In this verse Paul speaks of rejoicing in his sufferings for the sake of the church, which he calls the body of Christ. It echoes the Ephesians 3:13 theme that his trials serve the believers and offers a parallel vision of suffering as a means of building up others.
A Short Prayer From Ephesians 3:13
Lord, when my heart grows weary and I am tempted to lose courage, remind me that you are working through every faithful act, even the hard ones. Help me to see the good that your purposes bring to others through patient endurance. Give me the boldness and confidence that come from trusting you, so that I do not give up on the people and callings you have placed before me. Strengthen my inner life by your Spirit, and let my perseverance build up those around me. Amen.
