Devotional Thoughts for the Week of January 16, 2022 - More Than I Asked For
My heart and mind are absolutely gripped today with amazement at God’s love. In the third chapter of Ephesians Paul includes the prayer of his heart for believers in Ephesus and everywhere the letter would be read. “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 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 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” (Eph. 3:16-21). This is a powerful prayer that I think reflects the desire of God’s heart for all believers. God is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, but that means far more than just that He can give me a better job than the one I’m applying for or a better place to live than my dream home. In context, the “better” refers to being enabled to truly grasp God’s love for us, which we cannot do without the help of the Holy Spirit. The passage, at least in part, means that God can make His love known to us and experienced by us at a level of intensity that is far above anything we could ever imagine or know to request. To be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” is a reference to the love relationship between a Christian and his/her Heavenly Father.
If we are honest, knowing God’s deep love is not always our highest goal, or the greatest thing we could ever ask or imagine. In our limited, finite thinking, our big prayers are for relief from struggles and suffering. Notice that Paul’s prayer for believers does not even mention freedom from difficulties. The focus is on something so much greater, that there is no comparison. Paul has learned to know God in such a deeply intimate way that he refers to it as glorious riches which bring strength to the inner being. Paul had not been healed from the thorn in his flesh which tormented him (2 Cor. 12:7-10). He had not been protected from beatings, imprisonment, or treacherous travel in harsh conditions. Still, the greatest thing he knew to pray for was that Christians would truly know God’s love.
Brothers and sisters, the deeply personal love of God is something many in the church completely miss, to their own detriment. Paul’s prayer ought to be our constant prayer for ourselves, for one another and for all who are in Christ Jesus. God is able to heal all our diseases, to change our circumstances, and to meet our needs, but He wants to do immeasurably exceedingly above that. He wants to enable us to know the glorious riches of His love that surpasses knowledge. No one who has not experienced this personally will ever comprehend how much greater it is than physical blessings. What He wants to give us is far greater than what we think we want. We want him to provide money for an immediate need. He wants to go far deeper and heal the part of us that fears not having enough, by teaching us to receive and trust His love. We want him to change a painful relationship. He wants to go immeasurably further and heal the deep wounds and fears in our hearts that lead to unhealthy relationships in the first place, by teaching us to receive his unshakable, unconditional, indescribable love. We want Him to calm the storm. He wants to teach us to thrive in it, filled with the joy and peace and hope of His presence and His love. What He longs to give us is His love - a gift of greater worth than anything this world can hold. Human language cannot express it, human hearts and minds cannot grasp it, except with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Let us be praying, “Heavenly Father, please keep teaching me to know You more and love You more all the days of my life.” To know His love is to be truly alive. “From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children” (Psalm 103:17). Notice that both of these passages about God’s love make reference to future generations. The greatest thing we can do for future generations is to pray that they will be empowered to know God’s love and that they will love God with all of their hearts. May the prayer of God’s heart be the prayer of our hearts also.
Lynn
My heart and mind are absolutely gripped today with amazement at God’s love. In the third chapter of Ephesians Paul includes the prayer of his heart for believers in Ephesus and everywhere the letter would be read. “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 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 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” (Eph. 3:16-21). This is a powerful prayer that I think reflects the desire of God’s heart for all believers. God is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, but that means far more than just that He can give me a better job than the one I’m applying for or a better place to live than my dream home. In context, the “better” refers to being enabled to truly grasp God’s love for us, which we cannot do without the help of the Holy Spirit. The passage, at least in part, means that God can make His love known to us and experienced by us at a level of intensity that is far above anything we could ever imagine or know to request. To be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” is a reference to the love relationship between a Christian and his/her Heavenly Father.
If we are honest, knowing God’s deep love is not always our highest goal, or the greatest thing we could ever ask or imagine. In our limited, finite thinking, our big prayers are for relief from struggles and suffering. Notice that Paul’s prayer for believers does not even mention freedom from difficulties. The focus is on something so much greater, that there is no comparison. Paul has learned to know God in such a deeply intimate way that he refers to it as glorious riches which bring strength to the inner being. Paul had not been healed from the thorn in his flesh which tormented him (2 Cor. 12:7-10). He had not been protected from beatings, imprisonment, or treacherous travel in harsh conditions. Still, the greatest thing he knew to pray for was that Christians would truly know God’s love.
Brothers and sisters, the deeply personal love of God is something many in the church completely miss, to their own detriment. Paul’s prayer ought to be our constant prayer for ourselves, for one another and for all who are in Christ Jesus. God is able to heal all our diseases, to change our circumstances, and to meet our needs, but He wants to do immeasurably exceedingly above that. He wants to enable us to know the glorious riches of His love that surpasses knowledge. No one who has not experienced this personally will ever comprehend how much greater it is than physical blessings. What He wants to give us is far greater than what we think we want. We want him to provide money for an immediate need. He wants to go far deeper and heal the part of us that fears not having enough, by teaching us to receive and trust His love. We want him to change a painful relationship. He wants to go immeasurably further and heal the deep wounds and fears in our hearts that lead to unhealthy relationships in the first place, by teaching us to receive his unshakable, unconditional, indescribable love. We want Him to calm the storm. He wants to teach us to thrive in it, filled with the joy and peace and hope of His presence and His love. What He longs to give us is His love - a gift of greater worth than anything this world can hold. Human language cannot express it, human hearts and minds cannot grasp it, except with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Let us be praying, “Heavenly Father, please keep teaching me to know You more and love You more all the days of my life.” To know His love is to be truly alive. “From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children” (Psalm 103:17). Notice that both of these passages about God’s love make reference to future generations. The greatest thing we can do for future generations is to pray that they will be empowered to know God’s love and that they will love God with all of their hearts. May the prayer of God’s heart be the prayer of our hearts also.
Lynn
