How Deep The Father's Love For Us
Ephesians 3:17-19 I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, 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 fullness of God,”
Paul prayed that you would be rooted like a tree firmly fixed with deep roots, able to withstand the storms and droughts of life. He also prayed that you would be firmly established in God’s love like a building with a strong foundation that will not move with shifting times. And he prayed that you would know…oh, that you would know.
Notice Paul used the words know and knowledge. The first word, know, is the Greek word gnosis or ginosko. This word encompasses a very personal level of familiarity and was often used to describe the intimate relationship between a husband and a wife. This word is not simply head knowledge, but an intimate heart knowledge.
The word he used for knowledge is a little different from the Greek word gnosis. It is more head knowledge, an intellectual reckoning. Paul was praying that you would know by experience what you know in your head. That type of knowing comes through glory moments when you experience God as you live and move and have your being in Him. You don’t get that by studying alone. You get that by experiencing God through an intimate relationship.
Paul really wanted us to “get it,” when it came to understanding God’s love for us and His desire for intimacy. “I pray that you may grasp…” It almost sounds like a pleading. “Come on friend,” he might have said. “You’ve got to get this. You’ve got to grab hold of this truth. This is not about having a religion in your life. I had a religion and I was the most miserable person alive. This is about having a relationship with Christ. This is important!”
The Greek word for grasp is katalamana and means “to lay hold of, seize with eagerness, suddenness…” Suddenness! I love that word. I can almost hear God saying… “Surprise! This is just for you! Lay hold of it! A sudden glory!”
When moments of sudden glory occur, when you catch a glimpse of just how much God loves you, then grab hold. Grasp the moments. Seize them with eagerness. Don’t let go.
While we may never be able to fully grasp how deep, how wide, how high and how long God's love is for us, let us today at least grab ahold of the fact that, He loves us, because He loves us!
Credit: NLT - Sharon Jaynes - gig
