I enjoy a number of things I do not comprehend. How the computer I type on really works, or how the intense heat of an oven transforms a slimy flour, yeast and water mixture into fresh baked bread. But I don’t need to understand in order to reap the benefits.

In the midst of a beautiful and theologically rich appeal, Paul prayed that followers of Jesus would experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

God’s love for his people surpasses understanding. Still, Paul prayed in this paradoxical manner, seeking to measure the unmeasurable.

The original language suggests an ongoing experience with the love of Christ. His actions do not constitute a one-time glance of fondness, or a lifeline pulling us from hell. Rather, Christ’s love churns throughout the life of his followers. Animated through the Holy Spirit, revealed in the Scriptures and the world we inhabit, his love surrounds us.

Paul also prayed, may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Despite Paul’s entreaty, I simply cannot understand how wide or how long or how high or how deep is God’s love. But I can wonder as wide as I can imagine, as long as my life lasts, as high as the heavens, and as deep as I dare, and realize I’m enjoying the edge of his love.

Bask in a hint of the unknowable, and appreciate God’s ever-expanding love for you and me.

Ephesians 3

Photo by Klemen Vrankar