Surpasses Knowledge
So much about our Christian faith goes beyond our understanding. Doesn't it?
For example, in the Harvesters group this year, we've been trying to cover the topic of Heaven. I emphasize the word "trying," because it's a challenge to grasp what our eternal home in Heaven will be like. Concepts like eternity, identity, seeing the face of God, even what our bodies will be like in Heaven, all go beyond our human understanding. Our finite minds cannot fully grasp the eternal, infinite, and spiritual things God has in store for us. Yet, He discloses in scripture some of what Heaven will be like in order to bless and encourage us today.
God does this with other things as well. As I thought about some of the difficulties I and others are going through these days, God directed me to Paul's words in Ephesians 3:17-21 which says, "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. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Like Paul, my prayer is that you and I would have the power to personally understand the depth and breadth of Christ's love, especially in times of difficulty. Interestingly, Paul goes on to say that this love is a love that "surpasses knowledge." So he describes the tremendous love of Christ and then says it's beyond understanding. How awesome is that? Paul then takes it a step further. He tells us that God is able to do so much more than we could ever ask or imagine. Now that's hard to believe because I know, especially in times of trouble, I ask God for a lot. Don't you? He's saying we can't even pray or fathom what God wants to do in our lives, how He wants to work out the things we're going through for His glory. What an amazing God we have!
That brings us back to where we started. Well not quite! It's true that there's so much about God and our faith that we can't understand. But instead of that being a bad thing, we are encouraged to know that God's love, power, and grace, which surpasses knowledge, is for us and goes beyond all we can ask or imagine. Thank God He is not limited or finite like we are.
God bless,
Pastor Darren
