Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20
Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” Some three times, that question is asked in Scripture. But how would you answer it? Today we’re faced with a quandary. Either we nod our heads and say, “Yes! God can do anything,” unsure of whether or not we believe it, or else we’re confronted with empty hands and hearts, wondering why didn’t God step in and reverse a troublesome, difficult situation.
Well, let’s back up for a minute. A man sitting in prison—or at least under house arrest for preaching the Gospel—known as Paul, the Apostle, wrote a letter to the Ephesians. The theme of his letter was the church, and those of us who are part of it, made up of every race, every culture on Earth. He closes one of his prayers saying, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
For a moment, let’s look at God through the eyes of Paul. He says, first of all, God is able. Here let’s stop for a minute. The verb “is able” is incomplete. You have to follow it with something. You say, “My company is able to be competitive,” or “That person is able to make good on his word.” The phrase “is able” is always followed by something that qualifies the ability of someone or something to perform or do something.
Paul is stressing the all-sufficiency of God Himself. Unlike ourselves, God isn’t limited or restricted by time, space, and human limitations. That’s why He’s God and we are finite. We were born at a specific time, but God is without beginning or ending. You’re limited by geography and space and money, but God knows no such limits. And certainly, there is a limit to what any of us can do. We’re only human, but is God limited?
Moses said long ago that “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” And then he asked, “Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). Isaiah said that God knows no limitations as he wrote, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1).
When Paul stressed God’s sufficiency, he said it is limited only by two things: what you ask for, and what you envision or imagine, and that leaves out about nothing.
Yes, it’s true, the Bible gives us parameters of what to pray for and how God answers but here He says, “Trust me. See if I will not respond on your behalf. Reach out and ask for a large measure, that your joy can be full.”
Now, making this intensely personal, why don’t you finish Paul’s statement: “God is able to …,” and finish the sentence, describing your personal need. Like what? Like saying, “God is able to bring my wayward son back to Himself,” or “God is able to bring healing and help to our marriage,” or “God is able to provide for my financial needs according to His riches in glory.” Remember, you are limited only by what you ask for, in accordance with His will to do, and what you visualize or imagine.
Friend, the more you know of Scripture, the greater will be your faith, and subsequently the more you will see God’s personal intervention and care for you. May I suggest you find a Bible and go to the book of Ephesians 3:20 and notice this promise that has your name attached to it.
As a paraphrase puts it, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us” (Ephesians 3:20, Message).
Resource reading: Ephesians 3:14-21
