As we reach out to others with God’s prevailing Word, we sometimes encounter challenges that seem overwhelming. We may wonder whether we can bring the same kind of deliverance to these situations that Jesus Christ was able to bring to those he encountered. At times like these, we must go to God’s Word to get the strength and encouragement we need. Ephesians 3:20 is a tremendous go-to verse in these situations.
Ephesians 3:20:
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
This verse explodes with power and abundance! But how do we tap into this power? How do we unlock, unleash, and “upload” this power to a greater degree in our lives and in helping others? Let’s focus on Ephesians 3:20 to engrave two great realities into our thinking: (1) God can do, and (2) we can do. Strengthened with these truths, we can put our believing into action as we see it big, dare to do, and walk valiantly for God. Like the believers in the first century, we can believe and utilize the superlative power God has freely given us to see His Word prevail, changing people’s lives for the better in our day and time.
First let’s focus on God can do. He is the source of our power.
Ephesians 3:20:
Now unto him [God] that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think….
The first part of Ephesians 3:20 describes God’s unlimited ability to supply all the power we need in order to manifest a superior spiritual quality of life. First, it mentions God “that is able to do.” The Greek word translated “to do” means to make, form, or produce something tangible. The Greek word translated “that is able” means to have (inherent and moral) power. It is also translated “can” in the Bible. I like to think of it as saying “God can do!” To those of us with military backgrounds, “can do” communicates that nothing is too hard, no matter how big or tough the mission is. Our God is a can-do God!
How able is God? What can He do? Well, the Word tells us that with God, nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37). Things that are impossible with men are possible with God (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, and Luke 18:27). Anything that God has promised, He is able to perform (Romans 4:21), and He has given us hundreds of promises in His Word to claim.
Ephesians 3:20 goes on to express the magnitude of God’s can-do ability as “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Not just “above,” not just “exceeding above”—God can do “exceeding abundantly above” all that we ask or think, when we ask and think according to what He has promised in His Word!
This “exceeding abundantly above” can-do ability was demonstrated in Genesis 1 when God created the heavens and the earth. Do you know how big the universe is? No one knows for sure, but to give you an idea of its vastness, astronomers have calculated that the Andromeda Galaxy (a huge mass of stars in the northern sky) is 2.4 to 3 million light-years from earth. A light-year (the distance light travels in a vacuum in a year) is almost 6 trillion miles (nearly 9.5 trillion kilometers). If it is 3 million light-years away from us, then the Andromeda Galaxy is about 18 quintillion miles (almost 29 quintillion kilometers) from earth. That’s the number 18 (or almost 29) with eighteen zeros after it!
This distance alone almost exceeds comprehension. Yet, the Andromeda Galaxy is considered a local galaxy, only a fraction of the distance astronomers have observed into the universe. The size of the universe God created is greater than we can comprehend. It is astronomical! Within the universe, astronomers estimate there are billions of galaxies, many of which contain several hundred billion stars. This demonstration of God’s power in creating the heavens and the earth shows us His can-do ability is exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think! Therefore, the power that He is able to supply to us is capable of accomplishing astronomically above anything we could ever want or need according to His Word.
Ephesians 1 also describes God’s can-do ability as follows:
Ephesians 1:19-23:
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working [energeia, energizing] of his mighty power,
Which he wrought [energeō, energized] in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
God wants us to clearly perceive the exceeding magnitude and excellence of the power He can exert for those of us who believe. He demonstrated this power when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead and placed him in a position of excellence far above any other power. This tells us that there is no other power more excellent than God’s, and no authority on earth greater than the authority God has given us in the name of Jesus Christ….
This is an excerpt from the May/June 2016 issue of The Way Magazine.
Copyright© 2016 by The Way International. All rights reserved.
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