“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:17b-19).

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God’s love for you surpasses all knowledge, Paul writes. And yet Paul prays that we will have the power to grasp the width, length, height, and depth of that love. Through that understanding, we may be filled with the fullness of God. That is a powerful testament to how much God loves us.

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Another passage, this one written by the apostle John, explains that God’s love for us was made manifest in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. … God is love” (1 John 4:10-12, 16).

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Love is the very nature of God. His love is unmerited; He loved us while we were still sinners. He didn’t wait for us to demonstrate even a hint of love for Him—Christ poured out His love for us by pouring out His blood on the cross. The natural outpouring of God’s love in us, then, should be our love for other people. The best way to understand God’s love is to put His love into practice—by loving others unconditionally, just as He loves us. This is how His love will be made complete in us.

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Heavenly Father, we lift up to You those who feel unloved and unseen, knowing that Your love surpasses all understanding. You are the source of unconditional love and compassion. Wrap Your arms of comfort around those who feel unloved, Lord. Let them experience the depth of Your boundless love that knows no limits. Help them to sense Your presence in their lives, reminding them that they are valued and cherished by You. Show them that they are not alone, that Your love for them is unwavering and unchanging. May they find solace in Your love and allow it to heal the wounds of rejection or loneliness. Lord, guide us as a community to extend love and kindness to those who feel unloved, that they may experience Your love through us. Help us to be instruments of Your love, demonstrating compassion and care to those who need it most. In Your gracious and merciful love, uplift those who feel unloved, granting them the assurance that they are deeply cherished by You. Amen.