Wide & Long & High & Deep
Today I read an article that referenced Ephesians 3:16-19.
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 Lord’s holy people, 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.
Here Paul says he prays that the people he’s writing to will “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Don’t you love that list of descriptors - wide and long and high and deep? The words try to tell us how vast is God’s love, and even the “ands,” one after another, after another do that. The list goes on and on, just like God’s love.
It reminds me of another verse with another list about God’s love, Romans 8:38-39.
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.
What can separate you from God’s love? Nothing! Not “the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation.” This time it’s the “nors” and “neithers” instead of the “ands” one after another, after another.
This, in turn, reminds me of the game my kids and I played, which I wrote about in an earlier email, where one of us would say, “How much do you love me?” and the other would say something like, “As high as a mountain,” then the first would say, “I love you as high as the moon,” and we’d spiral up and down, back and forth, bigger and bigger, “as deep as the ocean,” “as high as the stars,” “as huge as the universe,” and on and on until we ran out of big things and said, “as much as infinity!” Like Paul says, “...nor anything else in all creation!”
As we go into celebrating Jesus’ birth, when God’s love became a human like us, and approach the end of a strange and difficult year, here is my blessing to each of you, my friends.
May the
wide and
long and
high and
deep and
mighty and
peacemaking and
unconditional and
sweet and
strong and
ginormous and
majestic and
specific and
generous and
past and present and future and neverending
love of God
fill you with strength and peace and hope and love and joy.
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What is this?? A while back, I had an idea. I was thinking of some friends I wanted to pray for, but I didn't have a specific thing to pray about on their behalf. I decided to pray that they would feel God's love. I decided to send them an email when I prayed, so they'd know and be encouraged. Then I thought about my many other family and friends who I would like to encourage with prayer, and decided to start this email.
Two things I try to do:
-- Encourage you with a reminder of God's love. My goal is to avoid anything where the response is "I should..." Just a short reflection of God's love.
-- Pray for you. I'll pray with each email, and please reply to me with anything you'd specifically like me to pray for you. I'll keep it confidential, don't worry..
You can opt out any time, no hurt feelings, no need for explanation, no worries. Just reply with a subject like "Unsubscribe" or "Opt out" or "No thanks" or whatever. If you would like to send me specific prayer requests. I will gladly pray with you. Email me at mavis at moonfamily.cc. I'll keep all communication confidential.