Immeasurably More
(This article was originally published in August 2006.)
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” (Eph. 3:20a NIV)
When I was visiting a church last week, they played the song “He is Able,” and its lyrics caught my attention in a new way.
He is able, more than able, To accomplish what concerns me today. He is able, more than able, To handle anything that comes my way. He is able, more than able, To do much more than I could ever dream. He is able, more than able, To make me what He wants me to be. (words and music by Rory Noland, Greg Ferguson)
The words are so simple, and I was so familiar with them, that I nearly sang them without even paying attention. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit prompted me to listen, and also gave me a good reminder about my faith.
Throughout my life, I’ve struggled a lot with being afraid. I’ll avoid talking to someone about Christ because I don’t know how they’ll react. I’ll hesitate to bring up a topic of conversation because I’m afraid someone might think poorly of me. I’ll have a hard time making a decision or I’ll feel anxious about the future because I fear all the bad things that could happen to me.
In some ways, I think my fears are rooted in a kind of pride. I wonder if God will make my life turn out well—as if I would know how to run my life better than God would. There are two aspects of trust needed to overcome that pride: believing that he wants to make things work out for me, and believing, really knowing in my gut, that he can.
Ephesians 3:20 begins, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” Think about that. Paul tosses it off as though it should be obvious, but he packs a lot of theology into one clause. First of all, God is able. Not only can he meet our expectations, but he can do immeasurably more than what we ask. And not only can he exceed all we could think to ask for, he even surpasses our wildest dreams! Life with God is a big-time proposition—we just have to wait and see what happens.
Abigail’s email address is in the directory.