Growth Weekly
Paul believed we can come to know just how “wide, long, high, and deep the love of Christ” is for us (Eph 3:18). So, how long is it?
Genesis 45:5, 7-8 – “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life…God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
My mom used to warn me to be kinder to my little brother because “one day he’ll be bigger than you!” I laughed off her warnings as I continued to pummel him into submission. But, I should have heeded her warning because I’m only 5’9 and he’s 6’2! Luckily for me, we get along just fine now. My mom was able to see into a certain future that I was unable or unwilling to see – God’s love tends to work in a similar way. When we say that God’s love is long, we say that it is eternal. There is no end to how far God’s love might reach and we limit his love when we localize it to whatever might be happening in this very moment. I’ve heard my grandfather ask the question before, “How can we, who were born yesterday and die tomorrow, know about God’s love that spans eternity?” Similar to my sibling rivalry is the rivalry between Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was treated as the favorite son of the favorite wife of Jacob. And, as if that wasn’t enough, he enjoyed sharing all his dreams of grandeur with his older brothers. In a dark turn, Joseph’s brothers jump him, beat him, and end up selling him into slavery. The brothers meant to harm Joseph and to finally rid themselves of this annoying nark by selling him to people who would take him far far away. But God’s love is long and his plans stretch beyond our sight. Perhaps the most important word in Joseph’s story comes shortly after his brothers’ betrayal when the author writes, “Meanwhile…” (Gen 37:36). This “meanwhile” is God’s love stretching to its full length, working out plans, using all things for his good. The same work God’s love does in Joseph’s life it can do in ours. God is continually working out the "meanwhile" of our lives! Surely we, too, can get to moments and times in our lives when we echo Joseph’s later words: “God has brought me here for a purpose!” Do not think that God loves you only as much as the moment you are in, the pain you are experiencing, or the burden that you bear. What if Joseph had given up hope when he was sold into slavery? Or when he was framed and thrown into jail? Or when he was forgotten? If he had given up, he would have never come to experience the full length of God’s love. I encourage you to do the same: believe that God’s love is already working ahead of whatever you might be experiencing right now.
How have you experienced the length of God’s love? How might God be leading you into deeper faith and stronger hope through this current moment? Where has God led you in the past? Where might he be leading you in the future?