When you consider all that Jesus has done for you, are you left feeling overwhelmed or bewildered? Or is it something you seldom think about? We often speak of God’s love in casual terms, using words that have become comfortable via repetition: great, faithful, good. But Christ’s love is so extraordinary, so far beyond our inherent capacity to grasp, that we need supernatural help just to begin understanding it.
Illustration by Jeff Gregory
BACKGROUND
Paul told the Ephesians that he was called by God to teach the Gentile world about the boundless riches of Christ. He wrote that this mystery was previously hidden in God but can now be made known to all people.
READ
Ephesians 3:14-19
REFLECT
Why would Paul pray for believers to understand something God has already revealed?
There is much to pray for today: provision, health, and solutions to complex problems. God is glad to help His children in many ways—but spiritual graces are among the most extraordinary and precious gifts we can ask for. As Paul prays for the church, what is his first request (v. 16)? He asks God to provide it “according to the riches of His glory” rather than our merit or ability. How does that affect the results?
Paul’s next request, that “Christ may dwell in your hearts” (v. 17), indicates that the presence of the Lord in us is continually growing. It also means we can ask God’s help in letting Him live more powerfully through us. The Greek verb katoikeó means “to dwell or settle.” How does your experience of becoming more settled and comfortable in a space following a move help you understand that Jesus can dwell more fully in you as time passes?
Through the indwelling of Christ, we become “rooted and grounded in love” (v. 17). This introduces an agricultural metaphor—roots that go deep into dirt, stabilizing and sustaining a plant. Imagine what it means to be steadied, fed, and supported by love. Name a few ways this could make you better able to recognize and appreciate what you learn from God.
CONTINUING THE STORY
In Christ, we’re invited into an astounding knowledge that goes beyond all human imagination, changing what we thought we knew about love.
Have you ever encountered something you lacked the ability to understand? Verses 16-18 say Paul is praying about something we can comprehend only once we have been “strengthened with power” by God’s Spirit. What is this mystery that is beyond our minds but available for the asking (vv. 18-19)?
Paul refers to the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love (v. 18). Does he mean we can discover these dimensions, or will they always be beyond our ability to comprehend? Examine the paradox in verse 19 (to know what surpasses knowledge). How does Eph. 3:20 provide its solution?
In verse 19, Paul finishes his prayer with a final description of a blessing so great we can’t possibly describe it: to be “filled up to all the fullness of God.” Take a few moments to ask yourself what this might look and feel like. Then pray Paul’s prayer, earnestly making the same request for yourself.
REFLECT
The cross reveals a love so extraordinary that we will spend eternity marveling at it.
Life with the Lord Jesus is an ongoing invitation to discover the immensity of divine love. Especially at Easter, that discovery has both a personal dimension and a communal one as we gather to worship. It will grow in your heart every day to come, as you pray the remarkable prayer of Ephesians 3:19.
