Ephesians 3:14-21 [NIV] | 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 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, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Paul’s main prayer for the Christians at Ephesus is that they would know Christ’s love for them. He did not mean that they should know Christ’s love in their heads but in their hearts. Paul feels so strongly about this request that he gives it a three-fold emphasis:

  • “Being rooted and grounded in love”

  • “To comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth”

  • “And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge”

It seems like Paul does not have the words to express how deeply he feels about this request. These believers simply must know how much Christ loves them.

Why? Why is this so important?

Well, God’s love for us is the most important thing in our lives. If we do not feel loved by God, then we will not love God back. At best, we will have a religious duty, but we will not have a love affair with Jesus. We will not fulfill the first commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). If we do not feel loved by God, we will not trust him, not for the big things. Will you trust God if you don’t believe he loves you and that he wants the best for you? Not a chance. If we do not feel loved by God, we will not obey God. We’ll obey the easy commands, the ones we would do anyway, but not the hard ones. We won’t obey God because we don’t believe that he has our best interests at heart.

We could go on and on. Every aspect of the spiritual life hinges on the love of God for us. If we do not know, in the deepest places of our soul, that our God loves us so much, then we will not love him, trust him, obey him, serve him, enjoy him, worship him, rest in him, or seek him.

This is the foundation of the spiritual life. Nothing is more important.

No wonder Paul’s greatest prayer focuses on Christ’s love for us. No wonder Paul places such inordinate emphasis on this love that he wants others to know the “breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”

No wonder.

Love in Action:
If you pray only one prayer for your loved ones, if you pray only one prayer for your church, if you pray only one prayer for yourself, make it this prayer: “O Lord, may we know how much you love us.”