How to Fall in Love with God

Francis Chan
11 Jan 2022
5 min read

How to Fall in Love with God

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Strength

Francis Chan

“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)

We don't understand the love of God — how wide and long and high and deep it truly is.

We don't understand the love of God — how wide and long and high and deep it truly is. Because if we did, it would change us.

Because if we did, it would change us. That's the miracle that Paul is praying for. It’s not a miracle of a physical healing, but that you would understand this love in the core of your being. Paul prayed for this because he knew there was nothing he could do to cause it to happen. He dealt with the heart, got to the core issue, and committed to pray.

I look back on my time in ministry and see that I sometimes just dealt with symptoms. I often committed to work and try harder, thinking maybe crafting the perfect sermon, counseling session, or program would do the job. But there were seasons when I simply did not pray enough for the people God put in my care.

Kneeling in Surrender

“I bow my knees before the Father.”

Paul said that for this prayer, he got on his knees. That's not the only way that we can pray. There are other times in Scripture when someone stands or sits to pray. But there's something about bowing and getting on your knees that reflects the posture of our heart.

We don’t really do this in our culture. We don't bow before anyone the way Paul’s culture would bow before a king, for example. And maybe it's a good thing, so that this is the one instance in which we do. We can get on our knees and say, “I surrender. Who in the world am I? I’m getting on my knees because You’re Almighty God, and I bow before You.”

Understood through the Spirit

“...that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you…”

No matter how hard I work, I can't make you understand how much Jesus loves you. God must supernaturally do that by the power of His Holy Spirit. It's granted to you, and it happens through prayer. If you come to me and you do not love Jesus, and you don’t understand that Jesus really loves you, I can’t talk you into it. It’s something that God must do. That's why Paul understood he had to get on his knees.

No matter how hard I work, I can't make you understand how much Jesus loves you. God must supernaturally do that by the power of His Holy Spirit.

When Lisa and I lived in Simi Valley, we always had people living with us. One woman lived with us for a long time, and we always tried to set her up. It was kind of fun to us. We’d introduce her to different guys, but we couldn’t make them fall in love.

It's the same thing here. I can't make you fall in love with Jesus. I can make the introduction. I can tell you that God the Creator, the only One that matters, loves you more than your wife, your kids, your mom, your dad, any friend or girlfriend or boyfriend. I can tell you that He loved you in spite of how much you’ve rebelled against Him. I can tell you how He watched His Son die on a cross for your sin. I can tell you how His Son rose from the grave after being buried for three days and then ascended into Heaven. I can tell you how He can put His Spirit inside of you and change everything!

And some of you will go, “Eh, that's nice...”

I can make that introduction, but nothing will happen until somehow the Holy Spirit gives you a strength “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” He lets you know something that you can't know in your natural mind. You get a deep understanding – in your inner man – of the love of God.

So, if you want to understand that love, get on your knees. Ask God to grant you the strength to truly grasp His love!

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Francis Chan
Crazy Love | Founder

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