Knowing God's Love

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how long and high and wide 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."
Ephesians 3:16b-19

We are so blessed to be loved by God. Many people in the world labor under the false belief that God, whether they know him or not, is either a tyrant or a disinterested deity who simply watches what happens. But God has demonstrated his love for us in practical and amazing ways. The one true God sent his only son into the world to live among us, sacrifice himself for us, and then be exalted to the right hand of God. This is an amazing truth that we believe by faith. The salvation of all mankind has been provided by God, but not all are willing to receive.
    The apostle Paul, prayed this prayer for all. It is a passionate plea. God wants us to know him and the fullness of his love. One thing Paul prayed seems to be a paradox. He said that he wants us to "Know this love that surpasses knowledge." How can one know something if it surpasses human knowledge? The truth is, we cannot understand the fullness of God's love. It truly is beyond any human understanding. If all people understood how much God loves them, everyone would run to him to receive it. But God has provided a way for us to know his love. It is not found in our own intellect, it is found in the Spirit.
    The heart of Paul's prayer is for us to "have power." This power only comes after we have been "rooted and established in love." Those who are able to know God's love are those who have received his Son and the forgiveness of sin he provided. All who are outside of real relationship with God through faith in Jesus, cannot fathom God's love. But we can because of the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. He is the source of power that gives us the knowledge of God's love for us. Paul prayed this over Christians, not unbelievers. So we must tap into the power of the Holy Spirit every moment in order to know what is impossible to know.
    We need a fresh understanding of how much God loves us. There are times when we feel alone, but we never are. There are times when we feel abandoned, but we have never been. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth regarding the love of God for us. When we are able to grasp it, our lives are changed. We stop attempting to please God through legalistic actions. We will know that he created us individually and loves each one uniquely. When we stop struggling to understand God's love and simply receive it as the Holy Spirit gives us the power to do so, we will experience true freedom in Christ. We won't be shackled to a set of rules or false righteousness. We will know that God loves us unconditionally and that in itself is everything we will ever need. God is love!