Too Great to Understand

“And 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. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:18-19

Okay. I have to admit. I don’t get it. I don’t understand how the internet works. I have no clue how I can type messages, send photos, and video chat with people on the other side of the world through this thing called the internet. To be honest, I am still trying to figure out how the television works. 

I can say, however, that my lack of understanding does not keep me from using the internet or even the television for that matter. My daughter and her husband live on the other side of the world (8,600 miles away and 12 hours into the future) and I am thankful every day that I can experience communication with them through the internet.

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians is that his readers would understand the dimensions of God’s love - how wide, how long, how high, and how deep it is. But even Paul admits that God’s love is too great to understand fully. So Paul says, “May you experience the love of Christ.” Good thing you don’t have to understand something to experience it. 

You may not fully grasp why God would choose to come to this sin-ridden planet and die a criminal’s death, even though he lived a sinless life. You may not understand why the Son of God would give up the worship of angels to be mocked, spat upon, bruised, beaten, and crucified as punishment for something he didn’t do. You may never be able to wrap your head around that kind of love, but you can experience it. “Once you experience God’s love,” Paul says, “you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”