The Power of Love

“...That Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him; that your roots will grow down into God’s Love and keep you strong. 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.”

- Ephesians 3:17-18

This is part of one of St. Paul’s magnificent prayers for the Christians at Ephesus. St. Paul says that as he said this prayer, he was on his knees “before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He prayed this prayer in deep earnest because he understood so well the nature of God’s Love to him, to the Ephesians and to all people.

We can make this prayer ours, so that we too can grow in understanding God’s Love and respond to it. The more we understand, the more we will love, and the more we love the more we will understand because God wants to reveal Himself to us. He started such a revelation by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world as the “Truth and the Light.” So let us focus on Jesus Christ and the Love that He expressed, especially on the cross.

Here is a prayer from Thomas A Kempis which has the same theme as Paul’s: “O God, enlarge love in me, so I may learn to taste with my whole heart how sweet it is to love, to be dissolved and to swim in love. Let me be lifted by love, elevated above myself through exceeding fervor and admiration. Let me sing the song of love, let me follow you, my Beloved on high. Let my soul exhaust itself in your praise, exulting with love. Let me love you more than myself, not loving self except for your sake, and all those who truly love you.” (The Imitation of Christ)

We can make these prayers ours and go often before God with those requests until we know that we are truly falling into a deeper love with God as we try to follow Christ more closely.

- Al Jones.