How do you know if you are deep enough into God’s love to have strength and height? Well, according to the apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:18-21 you go through trials, then you will find out how deep you have dug into God’s love for you! Now most of us spend every effort we can dodging the trials of life, don’t we? “Woo, that one came close and almost got me, but I ducked just in time!” But in so doing our depth into His love goes untested!
1. Dimension Vs. 18-19a “May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge”: Here Paul prays. That we may be able to “grasp or lay hold of” that which he says, “passes knowledge”. How is that possible? It’s because what Paul is praying for cannot be grasped by our intellect it must instead be experienced by us personally! Secondly, look at the dimensions of the love of Christ, “width, length, depth, and height”. Do you know what that looks like if you draw it out on paper? Why it looks like a cross to me!
•God’s love is wide enough to include me
•Long enough to last forever
•Deep enough to reach past all my sins
•And high enough to take me into His presence
2. Development Vs. 19b “That you may be filled with all the fullness of God”: The final aspect of this prayer to overcome our loss of heart has to the with the continual development of His love in our lives. Simply put Paul prays that God would continue to fill up our empty places with more of Jesus! Ever notice that in nature life hates a vacuum? I mean wherever there is an empty place that is where water, air, or dirt will rush in to fill it. Get a flat tire and what happens? There is a void where the rubber used to be and the air rushes in to fill that void. That is what Paul prays, “May the Lord rush into your life and fill in every empty spot”.
Now I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to have more empty spots. How do I go about doing that? Well, first off, we need to get punctured now and again and as our flesh gets emptied we just ask Him to fill us up with Himself instead of our old selves.
Paul’s prayer for those who lose heart is supplying Jesus to give us:
•Durability
•Depth
•Dimension
•Development
But how can this prayer happen? The next two verses ensure that it is not just a pipe dream but rather a reality.
Vs. 20-21 This is what is called doxology or a benediction which is an expression of praise. But in it, Paul reveals how this prayer will become a reality in our lives:
1. “Now to Him who is able to do”: The first truth is that it is not us who will bring this prayer into reality it is God who will do so.
2. “Exceedingly”: God’s ability is exceedingly above all we can ask. Concerning our need for the love of God start asking and we will run of things to ask before the supply will run out.
3. “Abundantly”: I may not have the words to ask but my mind is always running. That may be true, but God’s supply is abundantly above all you can think.
4. “According to the power that works in us”: It has a track record in our lives already it is in accord with what He has already been doing in our lives. His work has a history already in my heart so it’s on familiar ground! Paul uses two words with regards to this, “power” which is where we get our word “dynamite” from, and “works” where we get our word “energy” from. Paul says that we can be assured of the God’’ ability to answer this prayer because His explosive power is already a work in us!