“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, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV)
Imagine something, anything, the biggest imagine that you have ever imagined. God can do it. In fact, God can do Exceedingly (“exceedingly; very; greatly; highly”), Abundantly (“an exceeding measure, something above the ordinary”), Above (“of place, above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative superior to, more than”) anything that you can possibly imagine. That’s huge!!
When I think about that, “Exceedingly Abundantly Above All That We Ask or Think,” I wonder how often we limit God in our prayers. Our prayers are our direct connection to the Father, our personal relationship with Him, and how often are we holding back (Philippians 4:6)? How often do we think, “Well, there are others who need His help more,” or “I don’t want to bother Him with something so small or trivial,” or “I’m not worthy of His personal attention.” If that were the case why would this scripture be in the Bible for us to read and meditate on (1 Peter 5:7). What if Hezekiah had decided that his desires weren’t worth of prayer (Isaiah 38:5), he would have missed out on 15 amazing years of life.
Can you imagine how spiritually powerful we would be if we addressed every need we have with this passage (James 5:16)? Every prayer we send forward would reach the throne of God with power and confidence and expectancy. Imagine the pleasure of the Father knowing that His children are stepping into His will and His realm to attack and issue that He can easily address (Matthew 21:22).
I remember hearing a story where a Pastor in Africa was praying for a Bicycle. He prayed and prayed but nothing happened. One day in prayer he asked God why his prayer had not been answered. He heard God say, “You haven’t told me what kind you want.” The Pastor then became very specific in the model and style and color of the bike he wanted, thinking previously that it was brash to be so specific. Within a week God had put this Pastor on the heart of someone who bought the exact make, model and color that the Pastor had asked God for, including a basket on the front and a bell on the handlebars!!
God could have sent a rusty old bike that still worked, but He wanted to ”abundantly exceedingly above” bless the Pastor. He was waiting for the Pastor to recognize that God was big enough for specifics. He wanted the Pastor to believe that he was loved beyond measure.
Do we limit God? Do we only ask for the minimal, expecting to receive just the basics of what we need? Do we believe that God loves us more than we can even imagine and wants to bless us with the desires of our heart, not just the needs of the day (Psalm 37:4)? Do we believe the promises of the Bible are for other people, important people, strong people of faith, but not a simple believer?
Scripture says to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) and if you don’t know how to pray for your specific need, to pray in the spirit and your requests will reach the Father (Romans 8:26-27).
Put Him to the test. Pray with a humble heart and watch God bring you more than you could have ever imagined. It is for you. It is for today. “To Him Be The Glory.” Amen!
** A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 3, Part 8
Written by Linda J Humes
12/19/2016
Linda J. Humes 