Immeasurably More...

 Our church's discipleship verse for last month (July) was Ephesians 3:20-21:

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generation for ever and ever! Amen!

I just read a devotion based on this scripture:

What’s the boldest prayer you can think to pray? Or the most incredible thing you can dare to imagine? 

Did you know that God can top it?

Paul said it like this: 

“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

You know those quiet dreams in your heart? God put them there. You know that ache for something better than this broken world? God gave you that desire. You know the deepest longings of your soul? God knows how to fulfill them. 

Like Paul said, God can do more than we ask or imagine, but we also must remember the second part of his words: according to His power at work within us. 

It’s all God’s power and His plan. But He has invited us into it.

So what’s our part in this process? 

We can give glory to Him—knowing that it’s Him who gives us the desire and power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). He created us, loves us, and has entrusted us with sharing His message with the world.

We can submit ourselves to His plan—knowing that it’s all God, but He chooses to work in and through His people to accomplish His purposes. He doesn’t need us to be perfect, He just wants us to be willing.

We can trust Him with the process—knowing that He is good, righteous, worthy, strong, and eternal. We don’t have to know all the answers because we already have Him, and He can do more than we can ask or imagine. 

Here's a another thought... What if the immeasurably more God wants to do in your life looks nothing like the more that you've been asking him for?  

I think that we can often read this verse and immediately focus on the phrase immeasurably more. We think God can give me more than I'm asking for. He can make my dreams bigger. He can do something beyond what I imagined, more than we could ever ask or imagine, but this verse is actually about something even deeper than God giving us bigger blessings. It's about God's power, God's glory. 

Paul writes these words after praying that the believers in Ephesus would be strengthened by God's spirit and would truly understand the incredible love of Christ. And then it's almost as if Paul runs out of words trying to explain gifts beyond what we could even think to ask for. But here's the part that I don't want you to miss. Paul says that this power is already at work within us. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead is at work within you.

So maybe the immeasurably more isn't always God changing your circumstance in the way that you imagined. Maybe sometimes it's God giving you strength that you didn't know that you had, peace that doesn't make sense, endurance when you thought that you couldn't keep going, or transforming you in ways that you never thought to even ask for. 

This verse reminds us that when we reach the end of ourselves, we have not reached the end of God. Your weakness does not limit his power. Your inability does not exhaust his resources. And your circumstance does not determine what God is capable of doing in and through your life. So whatever it is that you are facing today, remember the God that you are praying to is able. He is able to strengthen you. He is able to sustain you. He is able to work beyond what you can currently see or understand. To Him be the glory!