Ephesians 3:20 Reflections

“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 is one of the most immutable verses in the New Testament.  It comforts and challenges as well as encourages and empowers disciples.  The verse declares the awesome and infinite attributes of Almighty God whose abilities surpass our mental capacities, logic and imagination.  Interestingly, He deposits spiritual power within each believer.  From the mystery of birth in which we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:130-16), we are the gracious recipients of God’s creative power.  However, we face daily challenges of surmounting fear.  Can we mature in faith and genuine reliance upon God to access and utilize His divine gift of internal fortitude?

In the King James Version of the Bible, Ephesians 3:20 reads, “Now to Him who can do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”  While indeed redundant, the characterization, “exceedingly abundantly” richly describes the abilities of the infinite architect of the universe.  The only limitations God acknowledges are those He freely places upon Himself. 

The Bible primarily discloses God’s faithful and eternal love for humankind.  God limits Himself in accordance with His unconditional love for us.  He adheres faithfully to the covenant He makes in Eden, repeats throughout the Old Testament and eternally seals through Christ’s redemptive work.  As a natural extension of God’s limitless love, He graciously chooses to utilize His infinite power to bless us.  He is able to do more than we can conceive.  Furthermore, He can do more than we ask.  That is an amazing thought, considering we have a seemingly endless wish list.  Yet, God can do more than we envision.  When we consider our normal flights of fantasy, it is simply astounding to think God attempts to satisfy our weirdest desires.

Do we possess courage to ask or imagine?  I suspect many Christians ignore it because it seems so far fetched.  “Yeah, what a nice thought, Pollyanna!”  Should we cultivate faith and boldness to seek the promises of this verse, we travel spiritually and existentially to unimaginable vistas.  Those heights may include financial blessings and material acquisition.  More significantly, we discover places of love, truth, justice, joy, and peace, the enduring wealth of life.  Nonetheless, many believers never visit these grand pinnacles because they simply lack courage to embark upon the trip.

Imagine your life without fear, doubt, disease, sin, and any other limitation that impede your progress toward inner healing and wholeness.  Your daily meditations are more than wishful thinking.  They can become real!  God is able to do it!  If you genuinely rely upon Him by your willingness to follow His guidance, you can live the good life.  Faith asserts an unequivocal belief in God’s abilities.  Trust acts upon your faith.  If you can imagine it, it is yours. 

God accomplishes His work through us.  He works immeasurably “according to His power that is at work within us.”  As we partner with God, we obtain the blessings and promises of this verse.  Daily seeking His will and denying self enables the power of the Holy Spirit to achieve resolutions to our problems.  Prayer is neither magic nor wishful thinking.  We ask God for wisdom, strength and willingness to take the next right steps.  Additionally, we request holistic change of attitude and character.