Ephesians
3:14-21 | NASB
“For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according
to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in
the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you
may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do
far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power
that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to
all generations forever and ever. Amen”
Paul
says so much in such a short prayer doesn’t he? There is so much truth
packed in you just have to sit and ponder it over and over! However this
portion stuck out to me today: Now to Him who is able to do far more
abundantly beyond all that we ask or think… I love Paul’s use of
descriptive words: he doesn’t just say far more than what we ask or think, or
beyond what we ask or think, or more abundant than what we ask or think… NO! he
must use them all! FAR MORE abundantly beyond ALL… do you think that leaves
anything out? In our finite minds we often limit God, we assume or
believe that He acts in certain ways, or only cares about certain things, we
doubt that He will act or could act in ways beyond what our minds think could
be possible. In our minds we have put God in a box, have put our
expectations of Him, our assumptions regarding Him and how He works neatly in
our little box with which we are comfortable. However God is not
constrained by our finite ideas and minds is He? Thank the Lord He is
not!! The verse here certainly makes it obvious that His ability is far beyond
our thoughts and understanding of what it could even be. Did Abraham and
Sarah think that God could fulfill His promise? Yes, however, there was a
time when they doubted that He could fulfill it through Sarah, through the
means that God had said He would and could.
Genesis
18:14 | NASB
"
Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to
you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
God
promised and:
Hebrews
11:11-12 | NASB
"By
faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond
the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had
promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as
good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of
heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore."
Abraham,
as good as dead, Sarah, beyond the proper time of life to conceive, physically
impossible, Yet God said "Is there anything to difficult for the
LORD" and He fulfilled His promise by giving them a son, an heir, by
giving them Isaac.
The
Israelites were mumbling… (yes again)… and they were tired of having only
manna, they wanted meat! Moses came to the Lord, the Lord spoke and told
him that He would give them meat to eat until it came out of their
nostrils and was loathsome to them! But Moses said how? How are you going
to feed this great number of people? If all the fish in the sea were gathered
it would surely not be enough? This is what God had to say to that!!
Numbers
11:23 | NASB
"The Lord said
to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see
whether My word will come true for you or not.”
Moses
had limited God's power in his own thinking. God had to remind him that
surely His power was not limited! How often do we come to God saying,
"I don't know how you can do this?" “Do you realize what it
would take to accomplish ____” "I don't know if this is possible"
…… We should hear the word of God "Is My power limited" in our
hearts every time we think or utter such thoughts, shouldn't
we?? Shouldn't we boldly approach the throne of grace and ask whatever is
on our hearts knowing that the power of God is not limited in any way, that if
His soul desires it, He will indeed do it, that He will perform what is
appointed for you and I? (Job 23:13-14) It will certainly change the
way we pray won’t it? it should rebuke
us in our hearts and minds when we limit God’s answers and dealings with us to
what fits in our little box that we’ve come up with and become comfortable
with. We ought not to doubt God or question how He works, but we ought to
be preparing to see what He is able to do, which is far more abundantly beyond
all that we ask or think!
Romans
11:33-36 | NASB
“Oh,
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has
known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first
given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and
through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen”
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