Grasping God's GIGANTIC Love - by Clayton Jung

Eph 3:16-19 (NIV)  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. In these verses, Paul offers a great prayer about God’s love filling our hearts. And once while reading this passage, an image came to mind about a big satellite antenna (like the one below).   Just like this antenna can pick up signals, I could picture my heart receiving more of God’s love. And here are some other insights God showed about this analogy: God’s love is gigantic and all around, just like the antenna picks up from all the vast expanse of invisible waves surrounding it. The adjectives “wide and long and high and deep” (v18) painted a picture of me being fully surrounded, and right in the middle, of His love. “HE may strengthen you with power through his Spirit” (v16): HE strengthens and HE fills my heart with more of His love. I used to think I have to strive and try making my heart tune more into God, like the antenna tuning into just the right frequency. However He showed it’s the other way around. It’s like God is at every frequency, and I mainly just have to turn the antenna “on” (i.e. open my heart to Him) and discover what His love is already saying to me! One meaning of “grasp” (v18) means “to understand”, and “to know” (v19) can mean “practically, through personal experience”. So God is the One who helps me to more fully understand & experience His love through my life’s highs and lows. Also, another meaning of “grasp” is “to desperately cling to”, and on Saturday, I shared a story of how He helped me see and feel His healing love during a desperate time in my life.  Besides the picture of this satellite antenna that helped me to receive God’s love in that tough time, He also used other means to speak to me, like: During a counseling session, I got a picture of sitting with Jesus on a garden bench that felt so real.  I could feel His love and comfort relieving some painful memories. Through worship songs. For instance, while singing “Take Courage”, particular lyrics felt deeply meaningful, like “He’s in the waiting…He's never failing” Whether you’re seeking a deeper understanding & experience of God’s love out of heartfelt desire or out of pain & desperation, I pray you’ll be able to  Pause and find a quiet time to open your heart to God Find hope that He’s all around you and already reaching out to you Receive His special message of love to help in any area of need in your life That special message could be a timely word of encouragement from a loved one, or a Bible verse or worship song whose meaning takes on sudden significance, or a mental image that speaks to your situation, or maybe you’ll discover a fresh, creative way God is encouraging you. May you find in better ways how God is helping you see and hear His encouragement today! This coming Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 3:00-4:30 PM, we'll meet before church to explore further about some different ways God might be speaking to you, helping you to understand & experience more of His gigantic love. With His Blessings, Clayton