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Extravagant Dimensions
Isaiah 40:12 – Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger? Who has put all earth's dirt in one of his baskets, weighed each mountain and hill? (MSG)
Riding in the back seat, our two small boys were excited as we neared Redwood National Park in California, USA. We told them that we would soon see very old giant trees. As we got out of the car and walked to one of the ancient Sequoias, we could not contain our amazement as we saw its immense girth and height. We mistakenly thought that we could try to capture this moment of wonderment to keep with us. So of course, we took the classic photos standing in front the majestic Seqouia. Then, we had another brilliant, spur-of-the-moment, creative idea.
The boys took some of our camping rope from the car, circled the giant trunk, and tied the rope to mark the meeting point. When we returned home, we circled the rope on the grass in our small backyard. It was astounding to see how much space that it surrounded! The rope was a very creative marker, yet it failed miserably in encapsulating our experience.
Trying to fathom God's love is like that, too. A children's Bible teacher once suggested asking children to try to measure God's love by using a tape, a clock, and a measuring cup, and by reading these three Bible verses and responding:
- Psalm 108:4 – For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (NIV) Response: No tape can measure it!
- Psalm 103:17 – But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children. (NIV) Response: No clock can measure it!
- Psalm 23:5b – My cup overflows. (NIV) Response: No measuring cup can hold it!
We experience many things in that way. We gaze at brilliant stars, behold sunrises and sunsets, imagine ocean depths, and thrill at mountaintop vistas. Our responses involve trying to comprehend the great distance between our smallness and a seemingly unending expanse. Our human minds grope, trying to take it in. We are instinctively drawn to know and understand more. Our searching can lead us to the truth of God's absolute love. Do you feel the urge to explore? The apostle Paul prayed this for his friends:
Ephesians 3:17b-19 – And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (MSG)
Prayer: Almighty God, how we long to take in the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Teach us more and more as we plant our feet firmly on that love. May it flow from our lives back to You in praise. Amen.
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By Isaiah 40:12 – Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger? Who has put all earth's dirt in one of his baskets, weighed each mountain and hill? (MSG)
Riding in the back seat, our two small boys were excited as we neared Redwood National Park in California, USA. We told them that we would soon see very old giant trees. As we got out of the car and walked to one of the ancient Sequoias, we could not contain our amazement as we saw its immense girth and height. We mistakenly thought that we could try to capture this moment of wonderment to keep with us. So of course, we took the classic photos standing in front the majestic Seqouia. Then, we had another brilliant, spur-of-the-moment, creative idea.
The boys took some of our camping rope from the car, circled the giant trunk, and tied the rope to mark the meeting point. When we returned home, we circled the rope on the grass in our small backyard. It was astounding to see how much space that it surrounded! The rope was a very creative marker, yet it failed miserably in encapsulating our experience.
Trying to fathom God's love is like that, too. A children's Bible teacher once suggested asking children to try to measure God's love by using a tape, a clock, and a measuring cup, and by reading these three Bible verses and responding:
- Psalm 108:4 – For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (NIV) Response: No tape can measure it!
- Psalm 103:17 – But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children. (NIV) Response: No clock can measure it!
- Psalm 23:5b – My cup overflows. (NIV) Response: No measuring cup can hold it!
We experience many things in that way. We gaze at brilliant stars, behold sunrises and sunsets, imagine ocean depths, and thrill at mountaintop vistas. Our responses involve trying to comprehend the great distance between our smallness and a seemingly unending expanse. Our human minds grope, trying to take it in. We are instinctively drawn to know and understand more. Our searching can lead us to the truth of God's absolute love. Do you feel the urge to explore? The apostle Paul prayed this for his friends:
Ephesians 3:17b-19 – And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (MSG)
Prayer: Almighty God, how we long to take in the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Teach us more and more as we plant our feet firmly on that love. May it flow from our lives back to You in praise. Amen.