“Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” This episode reminds us that the Lord is capable of doing far more than we could even imagine. It reminds us not to be afraid to ask for the things we really want. It also reminds us that all the Glory goes to the Lord! Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
God Can Accomplish Far More Than We Can Imagine
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Wow, that first line is something I think we all need to hear again. “Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine.” What have you been asking the Lord for lately? Does it seem like you are asking Him for some pretty big things? Does it seem like you are asking Him for more than He can give you? When we read this verse, we see that there isn’t anything we can ask for that is “too much” for Him. He is able to do far more than we can even imagine. I saw this yesterday when I was in class.
When I was in class last night at Encounter Ministries Boston Campus, we were praising and worshiping the Lord. Then Deacon Joe said he feels as though the Lord wants to heal people right now. I don’t know what people were praying for while we were praising and worshiping, but I don’t know that anyone was praying for immediate healing. I bet some people were praying for a healing, but I doubt anyone thought to pray for an immediate healing. Deacon Joe asked anyone who had any pain to raise their hands. Then he said if you don’t have pain go and find someone with their hand raised and pray over them.
First, I went to a friend in class who has had some heart issues in the past. He said he had a pain in his chest, and he didn’t know what it was from. There were two of us praying over him, and after the first time praying, he said the pain had decreased, and after the second time, he said he no longer had the pain anymore. Later, he shared with the class that he had been at the hospital with this pain over the weekend, and they couldn’t come up with a reason for it. Now, his pain was gone!
Second, I went to a friend who has been struggling with shoulder pain and range of motion for quite a while now. There were two of us praying, and then another two joined after a few minutes. We prayed for a restoration of her range of motion and for a release of all pain. As we prayed, she was able to lift her arm further and further. She was also able to put her arm behind her, which she hadn’t been able to do before we prayed. Thank you, Jesus, you are so good!
I believe both of these healings were above and beyond what they were asking for in class last night. Yet, that is how good God is; He likes to surprise us! What do you need right now, and yet you have been afraid to ask? Where have you been playing it little in your prayers? Where have you been wanting more than you asked for? Where have you been asking for less than you want because you don’t want to be greedy or you don’t want to bother God?
The verse says, “Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us.” I love that last part, too, “by the power at work within us.” I know I say this often, and that is because it is so important. We each have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. We have power that is at work within us. This means that we don’t have to do things on our own. We don’t have to limit our prayers. We don’t have to rely on our own strength. We are not in this alone.
I believe this verse is daring us to dream big. To pray for those desires down deep in our hearts. When I say we are praying too small, I don’t just mean when we pray for healing or when we pray for others. I mean, even for those dreams that we used to think about and have now tucked away into that neat little box in the back of our mind so we don’t have to think about them anymore. I mean for that thing that you have always wanted, and yet you can’t see any way that it could happen, so you don’t even ask for it.
Maybe your sister is in hospice, and even though you are praying for a miracle, you can’t see how one could actually happen. That’s ok; we don’t have to see the way; we just have to keep asking, and God can work through us and in us. Maybe you have had a lifelong dream to do something, and as you get older, you see that dream slipping away. Hear me when I say it is not too late. God can give you more than you ever imagined. God can still make that dream come true. Don’t stop asking for it, and start asking for it if you haven’t already.
I know this can be hard to believe sometimes. I have some friends who are asking God for some pretty big things. I have a friend who has lost his eyesight, and he is praying he will get it back. I am sure in this tough time of waiting for God to answer that prayer, he is struggling to believe that God gives us more than we can imagine. I have a friend who is struggling with a sarcoma. She had had it for at least 3 years now. The doctors keep telling her that her condition is terminal, and yet she is still here; she is still going strong. She is able to believe that God can take this from her. She knows He can heal her. She is asking for big things and is trusting this verse to be true. She is trusting that God will give her more than she has asked for.
I just want to talk about the last line in this verse because it is important too. It says, “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” It is important that we remember who does the work and who is answering our prayers. It is important that we give all the glory to our Lord and Savior. We can get caught up in the moment when someone is praying over us, and we can thank them and praise them for the healing we received. It is ok to thank them as they did say yes, and they did show up. However, the real praise goes to the Lord, who is the one who did the healing. He is the one who does all the amazing things we see. He is the one who sent His Spirit to live inside of us to give us strength and to guide us. All glory goes to the Lord!
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode today. Lord, we ask that you help us ask for more. We ask that you help us truly believe that you will accomplish more than we could ask for or even imagine. Show us how to believe this Lord. Help us to give you all the praise and the glory Lord. We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting some of you this evening in mentoring and the rest of you right here tomorrow on the podcast. Tonight’s topic for mentoring is prayer journaling. I will cover what it is and several different techniques I have used. Journaling is very beneficial, and prayer journaling can be even more so. Journaling is not only for holy people or for religious people; it is for all people. It is a great way to grow closer to the Lord. If you would like to join me this evening, it is not too late. Just go to walkboldlywithjesus.com and click on the mentoring page, or CLICK HERE. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
The word from the Lord for today is, “I love you, my children, and I walk with you every step of the way. I know some days you are looking for me, and it seems like you can’t find me. Just know I am there. I am right next to you, walking with you. I love you. I will always be right there, right next to you. Whether you can see me or not, whether you can hear me or not. I am speaking to you every day. Listen, my children. Listen to what I have to say. I will help you. I will give you the understanding and the wisdom that you seek. Just look at me. Listen to me. Don’t avoid the silence. Sit in the silence; that is where I can be found. Give me the time each day to sit with me, and I will talk to you. I will give you what you are searching for, just rely on me. Give me the chance. Sit with me.”