“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Eph 3:14
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and 
depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Eph 3:17-19
It has been rightly said that Christianity is not a religion but rather a relationship. But it is not just a relationship in the ordinary sense of the word. For with Whom the relationship is made is the very God and creator of the universe!
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Col 1:16-17
There can be no greater experience than to have a vital living relationship with Jesus Christ! This being the case, any real relationship with Christ will have life-changing effects. You cannot be rightly related to the Lord Jesus Christ without it having profound ramifications upon your life. The Apostle Paul understood this when he prayed that the church would experience an ever-increasing measure of that relationship.
This relationship with Christ first starts with the indwelling (vs.17). He must be received by faith and as a result dwell in the heart before any real meaningful expression of a relationship can take place. Our Lord has not, as the contemporary song goes, desired a relationship “from a distance”. It is this indwelling that brings about a new understanding of love. Not just any kind of love but as the Greek word would indicate, a love born from divine origin. One who has not experienced this love by faith cannot say he or she is truly born again. It is the hallmark of the conversion experience! That is why in verse 17 of our text this love is a description of a completed act of God done in the life of the believer. Paul in the book of Romans, puts it this way: “… the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” Rom 5:5.
While the act on God’s part may be completed, our experience of the fullness of God’s love has only just begun! Paul goes on to pray that we would come to comprehend; “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge…”. This journey is loaded with adventure! There is nothing that can fill the soul or bring completeness to purpose, than to travel this journey of experiencing the dimensions of God’s love found in the person of Christ!
But Paul wants to make sure that we understand that this is an experiential relationship of love with the risen Savior. It is also one that cannot be known by human understanding or apart from the Word of God. It is a never-ending pursuit by those who wish it and one that will ultimately bring us to be filled with the fullness of God. This does not mean we will fully understand God or His love, just that we will be full with a rounded understanding of His love for us.
Yes, indeed, this a prayer for all seasons. There is never a time we don’t need to experience the love of God found in Christ. There will never be a time that we can exhaust that love or be separated from that love ( Rom. 8:36-39).
You may ask, “How can I know that I am really experiencing the love of God in my relationship with Christ?” That is an easy question to answer. There will be an ever-developing heart of gratitude in your life. You will find it hard to contain what God is doing in you. You will have a desire to be used of God simply because of a grateful spirit and an inability to contain His love. But you say, “I don’t think that is my experience.” Well then, if you have never come to the place where you have placed your heart in His hand through salvation why not start there? Ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to save you. Put your trust in Him and Him alone for your salvation. If you already know Him, find a quiet place and confess your coolness of spirit and ask the Lord to lovingly reveal to you any sin that might stand in the way of your relationship with Him and then confess it (I Jn. 1:9). Then yield yourself over to Him (Rom 6:13-14) and pray that wonderful prayer of Paul’s found in Ephesians 3:14-21. Let those words be the meditation of your heart. And remember, it is a prayer for all seasons!
-Michael Holtzinger