For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflection
This passage in the letter marks a transition. Up to this point, we’ve had some pretty deep theological thinking. After this blessing, we move on to more practical out-workings of the Christian life – if this is what we believe, then this is what our lives should look like. And here, at the joining of these two sections we have the most wonderful, maybe even over the top, blessing.
Starting with God’s greatness – God’s immenseness, and connection to everyone in this world and beyond – it swiftly moves on to our place in things. Perhaps we can become over familiar with the words, and fail to recognise the incredible claims here – the Spirit within us, strengthening us, Christ dwelling in our hearts – take a moment to reflect on how amazing that is.
But it doesn’t stop there. The prayer continues asking God to give us the power to know the unknowable, and measure the immeasurable love of Christ. And if that is not enough, we should be filled with the fullness of God. I for one find that concept well beyond my understanding or imagination.
Some of you may be familiar with the children’s story “Guess how much I love you”. Little Nutbrown Hare is being put to bed, and has a conversation with Big Nutbrown Hare about how much they love each other – the measures becoming bigger and bigger until the sleepy little hare hears they are loved ‘to the moon… and back’.
Perhaps we sometimes need to lie back, and listen to God telling us how much we are loved. To the moon and back is still measurable. God’s love goes well beyond that.
(and once you’ve grasped all of that, there’s that minor point of God being able to ‘do abundantly more than we can ask or imagine’. That would take at least another day’s Devotion to explore!)
Prayer
God, help us to grasp
that sometimes you don’t want us, or expect us to understand.
Help us today to simply accept that we are loved.
Loved more than we can measure or comprehend.
Challenge us to live our lives,
today and every day
in the light of that immeasurable, incomprehensible love. Amen.
Today’s writer
The Revd Clare Downing, retired minister, Hornsea URC
