Amazing love
I love being able to just talk to God whenever and wherever I am in my day. My car has served as my prayer closet for years. Miles of travel and sitting in traffic has offered opportunities to chat with (and sometimes complain to) my Heavenly Father. I was recently asked to offer the closing prayer at an Adult Sunday School class I was visiting. I read Paul’s benediction in Ephesians 3:14 – 21.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV
I love this passage of Scripture. It is so encouraging. In the margin of an older, well used, falling apart Bible of mine, I have written:
wide = all society.
long = past, present and future.
high = can cover all.
deep = no sin is too gross.
May we grasp how wide (covering all of society) and how long (covering all of time) and how high (covering everything) and how deep (covering every sin) is the love of Christ that is some amazing love.
“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!” The Message 3:14-21
So deeply moved by that prayer. So often words fail me in prayer and scripture comes to mind. Thanks for the example!
Thank you.