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One of my favourite books is The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien. If you haven’t read the book, you may have seen the film series. There’s a scene early on, when, after the homebody hobbit Bilbo has had his home taken over by a party of dwarves, he collapses into a chair and complains to the wizard Gandalf that he has no interest in adventure; he’s quite comfortable in his home, with all the simple pleasures of life. I suspect that can be the situation of many of us; we’re quite comfortable when it comes to God.
Into that comfort, though, invade the words of St Paul to the Ephesians, asking God to ‘grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength 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, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God’ (verses 17–19).
That’s a rich passage, but notice how it is studded with references to strength, rootedness. Take some time today to ponder over each phrase of that prayer, and to grasp its logic. It’s a prayer the Holy Spirit means for you today, as much as for the Ephesians Paul was writing to. Let me point out just one thing: God grants us strength to serve him, strength we need when we’re out of our comfort zone. It’s a gift; don’t let it pass you by.
This reflection was written by Stuart Ford, from Bible Society's Supporter Relations team.
If you have two minutes: Listen to the audio reflection and ponder how it might be relevant in your life.
If you have up to ten minutes: Read the Bible passage and listen to the audio reflection; you might want to keep a small journal, or note on your phone, to jot down words and phrases that jump out at you. Finish with a brief prayer to put what you have read and heard into practice.
What if I miss a day(s)?: Don’t worry, life happens! Just pick up the devotional again on the current day, and, if you wish, you can use the space for reflection on Sundays to listen to those reflections you may have missed.
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