“But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love for us…” Eph. 2:4
Heavenly Father, thanks for the first weekend of October 2023. Here in Franklin, TN, it’s bringing cooler temps and, before long, magnificent multi-colored leaves. But the verse we’re pondering and praying today is already magnificent. What a God you are. What a Gospel we celebrate. What a beloved people we are.
Though it’s an incomplete sentence, Eph.2:4 has a specific context and resolution in Ephesians 2. Paul was reflecting on our great need for salvation—describing how we are “dead in our sin and trespasses”—in the morgue, not the ER. We didn’t need resolve and reform; we needed resurrection grace and righteousness by faith. You complied by giving Jesus to us, and for us, and we shout “Hallelujah!”
No matter how desperate our situation, how uncertain our future, or how out-of-control things feel—this incomplete sentence will finish the paragraph, story, and our lives. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love for us…”
Father, whether our biggest burden is loved ones’ struggles or personal issues—no matter if it’s lingering shame, lasting regrets, or looming fears… because of what you’ve done for us by Jesus, three things in Paul’s incomplete sentence completely meet our deepest needs.
(1) “But God” claims all of our challenges, crises, and crucibles until heaven. (2) You are “rich in mercy”—not meager, miserly, but generous. (3) You have “great love for us”—not just great love, but great love “for us.” Though much remains imperfect in us and all around us, the Gospel is already perfect, and we are already perfectly “in Christ.” Hallelujah, and So Very, Very Amen.