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.
Everybody hurts; there is suffering in this world; some small, some catastrophic. I have mentioned that I am reading Tullian Tchividjian’s new book “Glorious Ruin” and getting so much out of it; a focus back to the cross no matter what is going on in our lives. I am beginning to see grace and mercy more clearly even in the midst of suffering. In the book he says;
“If you have suffered the loss of a family member to chronic disease, if you suffer debilitating seasons of depression, if you lost your job and livelihood, or if you went though a divorce that came out of the blue, know that God is not punishing you. He is not waiting for you to do something. You don’t have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and find a way to conquer the odds, be stronger, or transform yourself into some better version of yourself. The pain you feel may be a reminder that things are not as they should be, in which case it is appropriate to mourn the gravity of our brokenness.
While God does indeed use the suffering in our lives, He is interested in much more than improvements in your personality or circumstantial happiness; He is interested in saving you. He is more than your Helper; He is your Redeemer. We do not have the primary role in this drama after all; we are the actors, not the directors. Sometimes it requires getting on our knees for us to see the truth.
My prayer for you is that ...you will begin to comprehend the height, depth, and length of the love of Jesus right in the very middle of your present suffering.”
Wow – Father, help us to be rooted in your great love, your mercy, your grace! Fill us with a love that surpasses knowledge and guide us to see that despite our circumstances we all need so much more than help; we need saving, we need rescue and we need redeeming! Amen.
Grace and Peace!
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