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."
EXEGESIS:
Paul cannot contain himself. He bursts forth with praise and wonder at the recognition of God's unlimited ability and power. The Greek phrase "huperekperissou" is almost comically exaggerated, layering word upon word to express abundance beyond measure, overflowing beyond expectations, exceeding all categories of understanding. God is not merely capable of meeting our requests. He exceeds them beyond our wildest imagination. He goes beyond what we ask. He goes beyond what we think. He goes beyond the farthest reaches of our human capability to conceive.
This is a radical statement. It suggests that God is not stingy or grudging. God is not limited by our requests or our imagination. God does not provide the bare minimum. God provides abundantly. God provides generously. God provides in ways that exceed our capacity to request or to imagine. The problem is not God's willingness or God's ability. The problem is the limitation of our requests and our imagination.
But Paul adds a crucial phrase that prevents this truth from becoming abstract or theoretical. This abundance is available "according to the power that worketh in us." This power is not external. It is not something God does from a distance or applies to our lives from the outside. It is the power of the Holy Spirit actively working within believers, transforming them from the inside, enabling them, empowering them to accomplish kingdom purposes. The same power that raised Christ from the dead, the power that conquered sin and death and hell, the power that created all things, this power works within those who believe.
This is the power that operates in believers to accomplish the will of God. Not the power of human effort or human genius. Not the power of natural ability or acquired skill. But the power of God Himself, working from within, animating believers, moving them, directing them, empowering them to do what they could never do in their own strength.
HEART MESSAGE:
Have you limited God by the smallness of your vision? Have you asked too little because you believed too little about God's character and God's capacity? Have you settled for mediocre requests because you could not imagine God doing more? God invites you to expand your thinking. God invites you to dream bigger. God invites you to believe for the impossible.
The power available to you is not your power. It is God's power. The ability to accomplish your calling does not depend on your resources, your strength, your education, your connections, or your qualifications. It depends on the power of the Holy Spirit working through you. When you surrender yourself to God, when you align yourself with His purposes, when you invite His Spirit to work through you, He accomplishes things that exceed your natural capacity.
Consider what God could do through your life if you stopped limiting your requests to what seems reasonable or achievable. Consider what God could accomplish if you stopped reducing your faith to what you can accomplish in your own strength. Consider the possibilities if you began to believe that God is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."
Stop limiting your requests. Stop reducing your faith. Stop settling for small things when God is offering you abundance beyond measure. Believe for the exceeding abundantly. Ask the God who delights in doing the impossible. Trust the power that works within you. You will be amazed at what God accomplishes through your surrendered life. The power of God is available to you. The abundance of God is waiting for you. The impossible is possible for God. Believe it. Ask for it. Receive it.