“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
The Apostle Paul says that you need power to grasp knowledge. Did you catch that? I thought power moved things; I didn’t think it helped you understand things. How does being able to do more pushups help me figure out Quantum Physics, or the radius of a wagon wheel, or all of the Chinese dynasties in the thirteen century? We think of knowledge as data and facts that you snatch off of a Google search. The kind of knowledge the Bible is referring to here is different; it’s knowing something on an emotional level—having a personal experience.
Think about your first kiss. Intellectually, nobody needed to tell you what a kiss was. BUT THEN! Then you experienced your first kiss!—a rush of personal connection with your boyfriend (or girlfriend). There’s intellectual knowledge, and then there’s experiential knowledge! Or think about when you first learned to drive a car. You took a class on how to drive, but then you actually had to merge onto a four-lane highway with 75 mph traffic whirling by. You have to experience it.
In this way, God is like a kiss; you can only intellectualize Him so much. You need experiences that imprint emotional knowledge into your soul. He designed you that way. Hagar had an emotional experience with God—“You are the God who sees me!” David had an emotional experience with God’s strength–you are the “God who breaks out” against my enemies. Throughout the Bible, God’s people encountered His patience, kindness, holiness, protection, provision, intimacy, jealousy, joy, strength, peace, etc. God also wants you to grow into a fuller engaging understanding of every single one of these beautiful character traits.
God created you and designed you to need love; to crave love; to give love; to seek love; and to encounter His love. But life teaches us to protect ourselves; build walls; don’t be silly; hide your weaknesses and mistakes; fend for yourself. We need the power of God’s love to overwhelm our depravation. He is bigger than you think. He is more generous than you could imagine. He is more gracious than you could hope for. His love is more fierce than you would dare to believe.
Here is a simple prayer that you can pray to help you grow in your knowledge and experience with God.
“Father, I don’t understand your _ (attribute of God—i.e. Patience)_____. I need your power to understand your_ (attribute of God—Patience)_____. Thank you for being __(attribute of God--Patient)__ to me and for making me __(attribute of God—a patient person)__ as you are!
Tags: love, prayer, power, character, kiss, experiential knowledge
