Ephesians 3:16 is Paul’s prayer that God would strengthen believers with power through his Spirit, working deep inside a person rather than only on the outside of their circumstances. The verse describes a strength that comes from God’s own abundant glory and reaches the heart, not one that depends on how capable or confident you feel. Paul wrote it from prison to the Christians in Ephesus, a church he knew well, and he prayed it on their behalf as part of a longer petition.
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man…
Ephesians 3:16 (WEB)
What Ephesians 3:16 Means
Paul begins by saying he asks God to “grant” this strength, which makes it a gift rather than something believers produce by effort. The phrase “according to the riches of his glory” tells you the size of the gift: God gives in proportion to his greatness, not in small, cautious amounts. Paul is pointing to a generous God whose resources are far larger than anything the reader needs.
The strength Paul prays for is “in the inward man,” a phrase that refers to the inner self, the part of a person where thoughts, desires, and convictions are formed. He wants that inner life to be steadied and empowered. The verse does not promise that every hardship will disappear, nor that feelings of weakness will vanish on command. It promises that God can and will reinforce the believer from within, so that faith holds up under pressure.
The Context of Ephesians 3:16
Ephesians is a letter traditionally attributed to Paul, written to a mostly Gentile church in the city of Ephesus. Its main concern is the unity of Jew and Gentile in one body through Christ, and the practical life that follows from being chosen by God. Paul writes from imprisonment, which gives his words about strength a particular weight: he is not describing a comfortable faith but one that holds steady in difficulty.
Just before verse 16, Paul says he asks the Ephesians not to lose heart over his suffering on their behalf, and he bows his knees before the Father. Just after, he prays that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith and that they would grasp the breadth of Christ’s love. Read in that setting, the inner strength of verse 16 is not a private boost of confidence. It is the foundation that lets believers take hold of Christ’s love and live rooted in it.
Key Phrases in Ephesians 3:16
2 Corinthians 12:9
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
(WEB)
This verse shows that God’s grace is sufficient in weakness, which fits Paul’s prayer for inner strength in Ephesians. Both passages teach that God’s power is made known in the places where human ability runs out, and that his strength is not dependent on our own.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
(WEB)
Isaiah describes the renewal of strength that comes from waiting on the Lord, echoing the idea that God supplies power to the weary. Reading it alongside Ephesians 3:16 shows that the strength God gives is steady, sustaining, and rooted in his character rather than in human stamina.
A Short Prayer From Ephesians 3:16
Father, I come to you today asking for the strength that only you can give. I confess that I often rely on my own resources and then feel empty when they run out. Please draw on the riches of your glory and strengthen me with power through your Spirit, right where my heart is most fragile. Steady my inner life so that my faith holds when circumstances shake it. Let Christ dwell in my heart through faith, and help me rest in your love. Amen.
