For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV).
Kyle and I were having a conversation not long ago discussing the new series he will be team-teaching at our church. The title is “The Wilderness.” It will focus on the presence of God with the Israelites during their journey from the slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. It sounds very exciting. We continued talking about methods of study and preparation and ended going way back to some of his memories of me preparing for Sundays. Those were the “old days” (pre-internet and computers) when I would gather all my commentaries and other written resources on our breakfast room table and begin to read and take notes on my legal-size notepad forming the bones of the sermon.
I must confess that I don’t miss the arduous task of research without the convenience of a computer and virtually every reference at my fingertips. And, while I still use the original language references often enough to keep my familiarity with Greek and Hebrew fresh, I don’t miss the bound volumes of lexicons and dictionaries. Of course, the Morning Devotionals are a bit different than sermons. They’re much shorter and more personally based. However, one thing is identical. I always pray that the words I write will result in those who read or hear them will be “rooted and grounded” in the love of God so that you will be “filled with the presence of God.”
It is that position… being aware of the presence of God … that will bring fullness of the peace of God to your mind and heart. I’m going to be exploring that for a few more days as we continue in Ephesians, but today I hope you will recognize more than ever that the presence of God is both real and complete. He is within your heart and mind. He will enlighten and strengthen you in your journey. He will provide light in the darkness of the future. Trust in Him!