In the New Testament book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote two of the most profound and powerful prayers found in all of the Bible (Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21). The essence of these prayers are that God will open the spiritual eyes of His children so that they may see and know and believe what He is, who He is, and what it is He is able to do in and through the lives of His children. They are prayers that I often pray for you, the covenant community in Christ at Sierra Bible Church. As to God’s ability, Paul writes, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). The King James Bible puts it this way, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” The Message says, “God can do anything, you know, far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”
I could go on and on, taking you to other translations that search for the right adjectives to explain something that is unexplainable. Here Paul is stretching the power of speech to the breaking point. What do we do with these words? What do we do with the claim that God is able to do, able to move, able to work in the lives of His children in a way that is light years beyond their wildest imaginations? Do we have that kind of faith? Do I have that kind of faith? I have a pretty fertile imagination and yet by these words I am told that I have not yet scratched the surface of the possibilities that are found in God.
To make matters worse, while reading my beloved Oswald this week, I came across the following quote, “Dare I really let God be to me all that He says He will be?”
Concerning you, concerning me, the Bible says that the same Spirit that breathed life and breath into Jesus’ cold, dead body in a tomb outside of Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago, is that same, the very same Spirit that now lives in each and every believer. If that is true, what untapped possibilities lie within each one of us? Can you see why Paul prayed , “Father, open the eyes of their hearts!” “Father, help them to get it!”
A comparison of the riches we have in Christ, that I have used in the past is that of knowing that someone has placed millions of dollars in our bank account an then given us a debit card to access those funds, but one day our cold, dead, starved corpse is found under a railroad trestle. Riches were ours that could have fed us, clothed us, sheltered us, and kept us. But, alas, we never tapped the resources that were a gift to us.
“Dare I really let God be to me all that He says He will be?” Father, open the eyes of our hearts!” For the sake of our families, open the eyes of our hearts. For the sake of our church, open the eyes of our hearts. For the sake of you kingdom’s work here on earth, open the eyes of our hearts.
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