Ephesians 3:14-18 (NIV): For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 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.
Another consideration on the theme is Romans 8:38-39 (NIV): For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I've always been amazed by these verses but have yearned for them to REALLY impact me. They have always been "nice" verses. Something I know is true but perhaps never believed specically for me. They were never personal for Rachel Marie Davenport Cushing.
The next morning at 4:30a I awoke with these verses on my mind and heart. Do you ever have those moments where your mind starts to wander with the Holy Spirit? Like...your imagination and spirit are stirred and you just kind of relax into and see what God has to say? Well...this was one of those moments. I found myself asking...
- Q: What's the point of the world's tallest mountain? Which apparently is presently under dispute as to whether it's Mount Everest or Mauna Kea http://geology.com/records/highest-mountain-in-the-world.shtml . Either way - they are HUGE!
- A: I made them for you to understand the HEIGHT of My love for you. It is high and strong and unshakeable. It will never fail you.
- Q: What's the point to the deep, deep ocean? It's creepy down there! Weird fish and other creatures...crushing pressure...no light.
A: So you could understand how incredibly DEEP My love is for you. My love is not scary but intense, deep and sometimes (even) ferocious for YOU!
Q: Why is space so....so....overwhelming HUGE?! Humans have discovered some of it but what we've discovered barely scratches the surface.What's the point???
A: So you could understand how WIDE My love is for you. My love encompasses ALL things and ALL of you. It is so wide and long that I had to show you somehow and I love that you want to discover it!!
I realized, after pondering this interaction in my mind + spirit, that a huge smile had spread across my face. I lay there reveling in His love for me and just how freaking HUGE + HIGH + DEEP + WIDE it is. For me!!
Ephesians 3:14-18 (The Message): My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
Romans 8:38-39 (The Message): I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
