“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, …”
– Ephesians 3:20, NIV
Paul’s prayer found in Ephesians chapter 3 ends in a beautiful doxology, a praise of God. In the previous verses, he prayed that the Christians in Ephesus would have spiritual power in their inner being, that God’s love would powerfully dwell in their hearts, and they would grasp the fullness of God and His endless love.
Imagine Paul’s circumstances as he wrote this letter in prison. Yet, we read his impassioned prayer that these Ephesian Christians would live with much more faith and dependency on the Holy Spirit’s power for their lives. It is so clear that Paul knew this for himself; he had personally experienced God’s power. Did he pray to get out of prison to ease his suffering or were his prayers so much larger than for himself?
Paul prayed for these Christians to live more fully in the abiding life of Christ.
In the doxology found in Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul used the phrase “immeasurably more.” It’s as if Paul was saying, “You think I’ve asked for impossible things? I haven’t even scratched the surface of what God is able to do.”
Unbelievers, as well as many Christians, have no idea what God can do in them. We can get so buried in day-to-day living that we are not even aware of the possibilities of how God can use us or answer our prayers beyond the way we configure our lives. Our do-it-yourself, self-help culture has so thoroughly permeated our lives that we ordinarily don’t give attention to the biggest thing of all – the resurrection power within us.
Can we look back and see how the power of God has already been at work in our lives? Acknowledging our own powerfully resurrected life can help us look forward to depending on that same power for ourselves as we share the Gospel. And we can depend on that power as we pray that others will join us to present the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s intercessory prayer and “immeasurably more” doxology are examples of the kind of “boldness and confident access” that He wanted believers to have through faith.
We must know that God is here, that He hears us, that He loves us, and that He is with us but also within us. It is through this relationship that we receive His divine power to enter into the depths, to taste and see that the Lord is good, and to “be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Yes, Stonecroft family, that is the work we share with Jesus and the indwelling powerful Spirit of God that is in you, me, and us! May we all experience the immeasurable more that God has in store for us this next year. Pray that more women will know for themselves Christ’s transforming power and His immeasurable love.
Additional Scriptures:
Read Ephesians 3:14-21; Matthew 9:36-38
Questions:
- How has the power of God been at work in your life?
- Why is it important to pray for other Christians to recognize the power of God in their lives? How does it help them become laborers in His “harvest”?
Doris Thompson
Vice President of Outreach