Ephesians 3:14-21: a reflection

14For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

As Paul prays for the believers, he prays that they might grasp something that is, by its very nature, beyond full grasping: the love of Christ. He prays that they may be strengthened to comprehend the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. The love of Christ is so vast, with a width and length and height and depth beyond measuring, that it surpasses knowledge; we can never fully comprehend it, never reach its limits, never exhaust it. And yet Paul prays that we may know it, this love that surpasses knowledge. It is a love we can truly know, and yet never fully grasp; vast beyond our comprehending, and yet ours to know and be filled by. The love of Christ surpasses knowledge; it is greater than we can ever comprehend, yet ours to know. We can know the love of Christ truly, though we can never reach its limits. It is vast beyond comprehending, and yet given to us to know.

Notice the paradox in Paul's prayer: to know a love that surpasses knowledge. The love of Christ has dimensions, width and length and height and depth, that go beyond our measuring; it surpasses knowledge, meaning we can never fully comprehend it or reach its limits. And yet Paul prays that we may know it. This is not a contradiction but a wonder: the love of Christ is a love we can truly know, experience, be filled by, and yet never fully grasp or exhaust. However much we come to know of it, there is always more, for it surpasses knowledge. This is worth pondering, for it means the love of Christ is not a small thing we might master and move on from, but a vastness we can explore forever without reaching its end. We can know it truly, and yet it remains greater than all our knowing. The love of Christ is inexhaustible; we can know it, and be filled by it, and still never comprehend its full width and length and height and depth. To know this love that surpasses knowledge is to know a love without limits. It is vast beyond our reaching, and yet truly ours to know.

That is worth resting in, for the love of Christ surpasses knowledge, vast beyond our comprehending, and yet ours to know and be filled by. We can think of the love of Christ as a thing we might grasp and measure; but Paul prays that we may know a love that surpasses knowledge, with a width and length and height and depth beyond our reaching. However much we know of Christ's love, there is always more; it is inexhaustible, and yet truly ours to know. The love of Christ is vaster than we can comprehend, and yet given to us to know and be filled by. When you feel you have grasped the love of Christ, remember that it surpasses knowledge, always more than you have found. Rest in the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, vast beyond your comprehending with a width and length and height and depth you can never reach, and yet truly yours to know and be filled by, as Paul prayed that the believers might know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God; for the love of Christ is not a small thing we might master and exhaust but a vastness we can explore forever without reaching its end, a love we can truly know and be filled by, and yet which remains always greater than all our knowing, so that we never come to the limits of the love of Christ.

Lord, as Paul prays for the believers, he prays that they might grasp something that is, by its very nature, beyond full grasping: the love of Christ. He prays that they may be strengthened to comprehend the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. The love of Christ is so vast, with a width and length and height and depth beyond measuring, that it surpasses knowledge; we can never fully comprehend it, never reach its limits. And yet Paul prays that we may know it, this love that surpasses knowledge. It is a love we can truly know, and yet never fully grasp. Show me the paradox in Paul's prayer: to know a love that surpasses knowledge. The love of Christ has dimensions that go beyond our measuring; it surpasses knowledge, meaning we can never fully comprehend it. And yet Paul prays that we may know it. This is not a contradiction but a wonder: the love of Christ is a love we can truly know, experience, be filled by, and yet never fully grasp or exhaust. However much we come to know of it, there is always more. It means the love of Christ is not a small thing I might master and move on from, but a vastness I can explore forever without reaching its end. Let me rest in that, for the love of Christ surpasses knowledge, vast beyond my comprehending, and yet mine to know and be filled by. I can think of the love of Christ as a thing I might grasp and measure; but Paul prays that I may know a love that surpasses knowledge. However much I know of Christ's love, there is always more; it is inexhaustible, and yet truly mine to know. When I feel I have grasped the love of Christ, help me remember that it surpasses knowledge, Lord, always more than I have found, and rest in a love I can truly know yet never reach the limits of.