I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. (Eph 3:16 NIV)

Now that our salvation is firmly grounded in Jesus Christ and has been shared with us through his holy Word and Sacrament, everything in the Church is now focused on its holy mission of spreading out this word and sacrament throughout the world. To participate in God’s mission the inner being of the Christians is to be motivated and put into sanctified action. This inner being – the life in the Holy Spirit – must be strong and focused. The normal civil life turns more and more to promote the mission of the Church and its edification and outreach. That is what the Apostle is praying for if he asks God for this strengthening of the inner being with the power of the Holy Spirit for the Ephesian Congregation. We might want to say much more about this prayer, but one thing is certain that just as we are poor and minor in the bigger plan of things, this prayer is so wonderful and glorious that we can only hope and pray that all apostles and Saints in heaven and on earth would pray like that for us too and that we’d join them in this prayer too. We, who go on so distracted in our daily trot and are often so lukewarm and tardy in our Christian calling, we are in such desperate need to be introduced into the great mystery of God’s Church expanding over the entire world and initiated into the glorious mission of the triune God as he is gathering his precious elect from the ends of the world into his paradise and eternal kingdom – the one holy Christian Church.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun  does its successive journeys run;  his kingdom spread from shore to shore,  till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To Jesus endless prayer be made,  and endless praises crown his head; his name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song; and infant voices shall proclaim  their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where’er he reigns; all prisoners leap and loose their chains; the weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring honors peculiar to our King; angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud amen! (Isaac Watts, 1674-1748)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Tuesday after the sixteenth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 329 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.