I want I may at all times tackle God in prayer as Paul did: “Now to him who is ready to do much more abundantly than all that we ask or suppose . . .” (Ephesians 3:20).
If I extra persistently believed that mine was a God to reply properly past my asking, I’d pray extra usually and extra boldly. Religion taught Paul to start this manner, a religion that routinely solid mountains into the ocean. Paul doesn’t merely tackle a listening to God, however an answering God.
But he reaches greater. Paul doesn’t merely tackle an answering God, however a God who solutions prayer much better than we are able to even suppose to hope. He summons us to name upon a excessive and ready God: “Now to him who is ready to do much more abundantly than all that we ask or suppose . . .”
My coronary heart, on weaker days, struggles to elevate its voice to such a God. It has questions. When I attempt to take the textual content severely, doubts interrupt: If he’s the one who can reply this manner, why hasn’t he? If he can reply “far above” what I can ask or suppose, why hasn’t he answered what I’ve already requested, already thought? I’ve been capable of pray many fantastic issues that by no means occurred. Unanswered prayers edit the textual content: “Now to him who is commonly unable to do the modest belongings you suppose and request . . .”
Little doubts like these can sting the center to loss of life, forsaking prayers far much less triumphant. The salvation of a prodigal son, the therapeutic of a dying mom, the secure supply of your first little one — he answered in a different way from the way you prayed. How do you bow the knee and start, “To you who’re capable of do much more abundantly than all I can ask or suppose”?
Possibly your suspicions seep deeper. You doubt not his energy however his coronary heart. Not “to him who’s ready to do much more abundantly than all that we ask or suppose” — however “to him who gained’t.” When Christ was on earth, a leper knelt earlier than him, saying, “Lord, if you’ll, you may make me clear.” You’ve prayed that approach earlier than. he can if he actually needs to. However does he wish to? Christ’s reply to that leper appears completely different from his reply to you: “I’ll; be clear” (Matthew 8:2–3).
I hope to encourage you (and myself) to hope to this God of ample functionality. Irrespective of your questions or disappointments, Paul is praying (and directing us to hope) to this God, the one God. In different phrases, let God be true and our doubts the liar. Allow us to look extra intently collectively at this God to whom Paul lifts our eyes. I hope to persuade us each to hope to this God this new yr.
The God Who Is Ready
Now to him who is in a position . . .
His is the dominion and the facility and the glory perpetually. He’s the one “who is in a position.” His are the sources. His is the flexibility to do at all times and solely as he pleases on earth and in heaven. If he doesn’t reply as we ask, it’s by no means as a result of he lacks.
Discover, coronary heart too sluggish to consider, that Paul directs us to the God of limitless means — whereas he writes from jail. His God can grant any request, although he is aware of properly sufficient that each request just isn’t granted. However for Paul, unanswered prayer no extra cancels confidence in God’s energy than a bitter soul complaining within the shade kills the solar. We faint earlier than the silent heavens, not as a result of God is unable, however as a result of we’re too unwise to know why his silence is a mercy.
“Our God can accomplish far greater than each one among our tallest prayers.”
The flexibility of God is a go-to attraction within the Epistles. To the Romans: “Now to him who is in a position to strengthen you” (Romans 16:25). To Jewish Christians: “Now to him who is in a position to maintain you from stumbling and to current you innocent earlier than the presence of his glory with nice pleasure” (Jude 24). To the Corinthians: “God is in a position to make all grace abound to you, in order that having all sufficiency in all issues always, you could abound in each good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Unbelief doesn’t cry out to this God. Doubt doesn’t know his title. Understanding this, Jesus requested two blind males, “Do you consider that I’m ready to do that?” The god of half-hearted, storm-tossed prayers is usually prepared, typically ready. How our prayer life may awake have been Jesus to interrupt us with the identical query: “Do you consider I’m able to do that?” How our religion may rise have been we to reply, “Sure, Lord,” alongside the blind males — those who have been healed in keeping with their religion (Matthew 9:27–29).
To Do Extra Than You Suppose
. . . to do much more abundantly than all that we ask or suppose . . .
Paul’s God just isn’t solely the Ready One, however the Ready One who solutions higher than we are able to ask and even suppose to ask. What we convey ourselves to ask for is a lake; what we are able to suppose to ask for is an ocean; God soars far above each. We will translate the Greek phrase for “much more abundantly” as “fairly past all measure, the best type of comparability possible.” Our God can accomplish far greater than all our tallest prayers.
For over a month now, my son has requested me and my spouse (nearly nightly) whether or not we’re going to his celebration. Right here is the supreme request he can think about: a celebration, with all the identical individuals who have been at his different birthday events, with cake and ice cream at an indoor park. He goes to mattress fascinated by this occasion. It’s the supreme pleasure of his little thoughts. He asks us, reminds us, importunately. He can consider nothing greater.
Like son, like father. How usually do I pray, “Lord, bear in mind to return to my celebration!” It’s a good request, however my coronary heart towards my son far exceeds going to his celebration. I need to safe issues for him that he doesn’t but know to hope for, wonders that he would brush apart if positioned subsequent to a Paw Patrol cake. I plead for him to have a brand new coronary heart, for forgiveness of sins, for a godly partner, for a purposeful life now and everlasting life to return — however what are these to a three-year-old?
God himself teaches us many good requests. However it’s nonetheless true that “we have no idea what to hope for as we ought” (Romans 8:26). We have no idea what’s finest. Our God just isn’t so . He plans to reply his kids far above what we may ever ask or suppose — even when his solutions battle with what we did ask for.
Proof
With unanswered prayers gnawing at our coronary heart, why can we belief that he’ll reply us above and past what we are able to ever ask or suppose? As a result of he already has. This seems the one simply conclusion after we think about all of the proof already given in Ephesians. Paul presents us as previously useless in trespasses and sins, following the course of this age, stuffed with disobedience and kids of wrath. Once we didn’t suppose to hope or repent, he made us alive along with Christ. Our passage in full:
Now to him who is ready to do much more abundantly than all that we ask or suppose, in keeping with the facility at work inside us, to him be glory within the church and in Christ Jesus all through all generations, perpetually and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20–21)
To think about God’s energy already at work inside Christians is to aim to wrap our arms across the base of a mountain. Paul prayed for supernatural knowledge and revelation to start to know “what’s the immeasurable greatness of his energy towards us who consider” (Ephesians 1:19). To do far above all we may ever ask is a continuation of his goodness towards us, not the initiation of it.
You by no means, of your self, thought to apologize, but he answered. You by no means conceived of everlasting life, but he secured it anyway. You by no means knew the horror of that phrase hell, the glory of that phrase grace, the marvel of that phrase gospel, the life in that title Jesus, but whereas the twisted prayer of your useless coronary heart was for extra of this world, sin, and insurrection, he answered you with heaven, his Spirit, his Son, and himself.
Consider
Might we not sail any extra prayers on the leaky vessel and tough waves of doubt. The God of Paul is our God: the One Who Is Capable of do much more abundantly than we are able to ever ask or suppose. A few of us have no idea him by this monicker. Let Spurgeon confront us:
Should you consider in prayer in any respect, count on God to listen to you. If you don’t count on, you’ll not have. God is not going to hear you until you consider He’ll hear you; however should you consider He’ll, He shall be nearly as good as your religion. He won’t ever let you suppose higher of Him than He’s. (Autobiography, 1:25)
He shall be nearly as good as your religion. He won’t ever let you suppose higher of him than he’s. Whenever you pray, hear Jesus ask you, “Do you consider I can do that?” Rouse your religion to aim the inconceivable this yr: outpray God’s goodness. Attempt to ask and suppose greater than he can reply and see how he meets your confidence in him with sudden blessing that bows you in humble worship and lifts your voice to name out to others: “Now to him who solutions above and past what we are able to ever suppose to ask . . .”
