It is blessed to see how the Apostle felt as to the delight of the Lord in these saints, “What a blessed sense it is that a living God continually Thinks of us to bless us, and that there is no thought of His that does not belong to us. “All things are for your sakes.” How Paul’s spirit lived with God How he felt the way in which the thoughts of God were set upon these saints, and were to be so dwelt on by them, that God might have a return in thanksgiving. We thus find, that not only redemption has given us a place before God, hut that He is always thinking of us. What a place that puts us in! How it makes us feel our own nothingness! It is the only thing that does make us feel it completely; but still, when we apprehend that God has these thoughts about us, it lifts us up into that confidence which is spiritual strength. This consciousness links our hearts with God. Do we really believe that? Surely we must feel how unworthy we are of it; but “All things are yours:” we are “Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”
The Apostle is desiring that they may enter consciously upon blessing (v. 16). “That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory,” &e. He does not descend below His own glory in leading us into blessing. Here we are brought into the mind and thoughts of God to enjoy them, not only to His eternal counsels but to His present thoughts. And here the Apostle speaks of Christ as the Son, looking for blessing in the saints. In his prayer in the first chapter he says, “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and wishes that they may know the hope of His calling. Here He looks for fellowship, and so it is Father, and prays that we may not only know, but that we may be strengthened with might by His Spirit, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. He looks for the soul to be brought into the present enjoyment of communion with the Father.
He takes the “riches of the glory” as the measure of what we are to enjoy. This is not like the first chapter. Being brought into the holiest, brought to God, the spring and source of all these thoughts, we ought to have the present enjoyment of it all. He would have us enjoy that into which He has brought us Himself. It is not merely life here, but strength in the inner man. A re our hearts looking for divine strength to be able to endure? It is not merely feeling, but a practical realization by faith of the enjoyment of these thoughts, so that our hearts may be living there. We are not there yet. The Father and Son both dwell in us here. Until we get to our abode, if we are walking in His path, His words, He will dwell in us. Do not be merely contented with saying, “I am inside the door:” There is not a thought in the heart of God that is not for you. Well, we can understand how much we need to be strengthened with might by His Spirit to be able to enjoy it. He puts the two words together, “riches” and “glory,” and, according to that, you are to be strengthened.
“Rooted and grounded in love.” There the soul is settled; and if I look up to God I have this thought. Now I am the object of His love. The heart is brought into the consciousness of it. There is no vacillation here; the winds do not shake it, they only make it grow. That is the atmosphere it lives in, and by the love of the Father. This gives intelligence. You might not think it; but what gives real divine intelligence is being rooted and grounded in love.
The first “family” is the saints. When Christ dwells in my heart, I have His interests and thoughts as the result. What does He think of ‘? His people. So do I. It gives us a longing desire in our hearts after His people. That is the first circle of divine affections in us. If I have Christ as the center in me, everything is a part of His glory; but first come the brethren.
“The breadth, and lengths, and depth, and height.” He does not say what it is, but it is all God’s glory. When I get to that it throws me into what dazzles me, so wide, so great, so vast is it; therefore, supposing I could see it all, it would dazzle me, so He brings us back to what is known—the love of Christ. There, in the middle of the glory, I find myself at home. I find I am the nearest friend to the center of it all. Yet it is not a small thing this to which I get back, and which I am at home with— “it passes knowledge.” In this very Person the fullness of the Godhead is, and therefore we are filled into all the fullness of God. The wideness of the glory is nothing like the God that is in the midst of it. The first thing is Christ dwelling in my heart by faith, and He being there I can then find all the saints in my heart as the immediate objects of His love. Then I find myself in the midst of all the divine glory, but I am at home in it, because Christ is there.
Mark the wonderful way in which He connects us with His glory. His thoughts first, and then He brings our thoughts into unison with His. We constantly use this verse with regard to prayer. It is all true. But that is not what He looks at here—it is the power in us, not for us. I am looking to God, who is able to do above all we ask or think. I may say I am not up to comprehend all this breadth, and length, and depth, and height. Yes; but this power works in us. The measure of strength is the measure of the glory. Supposing this power worked in us in this wonderful way, His glory would be manifested in us. We cannot bring out God’s glory in the church unless we are strengthened in God’s thought about us. There is no veil upon them at all, His glory shines into our hearts. Then comes the question, ‘How far we realize this?’ The Apostle does not ask for knowledge here, but for strength, that the center of all this may dwell in our hearts. It is that love of Christ that makes it all simple to us-it is the positive realization of this blessedness. Do we realize how much God makes us the object of His thoughts? How His heart is set on us? If we thought more of it our hearts would be more set on Him, and looking to Him in everything we do. It would flow out naturally, it would not be an effort. If we were full of Christ, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth would speak.
The Lord give us to count on His love, which is perfect and infinite, and proved in the gift of His Son.