Exceedingly Abundant

Paul prayed for the saints in Ephesus to have spiritual strength. He wrote to the church about praying with his knees bowed to God our father. He prayed for the church to be strengthened in our inner spirit, by the Holy Spirit according to the glory of God. This strength would allow Christ to live in our hearts through faith, so that we would know how to live in love. Paul wanted the church to understand the depths of the love of Christ Jesus, which is beyond our human comprehension. This love was what led Christ to die for us on the cross to redeem us to God. He then spoke about God’s ability and desire to do way more for us, than we can even comprehend, more than we can even ask or think of. It’s because of God’s great power that we give him glory as a church from now until eternity.

Our prayers are often limited by what we can see and understand, based on our limited scope and understanding. God is all powerful, all knowing, omnipotent and omniscient. He created us and knows more about us than we even know about ourselves. God knows our beginning and he knows our ending, including the journeys that we will take. Because of God’s all surpassing knowledge, he understands much better than us, what blessings will truly create a meaningful and happy life for us. Many of us desired a thing, only to be disappointed when we gained it, because the happiness that we had attached to it, has not manifested. This is because our wisdom and understanding is limited to the scope of what we can see.

God is not limited and because he knows more than we do, he makes decisions that are best for us. Some of our prayers are delayed, some are not answered at all, because God has something greater in store. God alone knows the end result of a relationship that ended and we continued to grieve. God knows what’s behind a door that was closed and we grieved in disappointment. Trusting God requires childlike faith and confidence that he is a good father. God is not like earthly fathers who are prone to errors or mistakes. Many of us have great fathers, while some of us have fathers who haven’t quite lived up to our expectations. God is a good father and he cannot be tempted to do evil to us. When we trust him, stay in his will and listen to his voice, then he will lead and guide us.

Many children rebel because they don’t quite understand their parent’s instructions, or they view their discipline as harsh. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). None of us enjoyed being disciplined, but if we are honest, we can say that our parents discipline taught us many valuable life lessons. I want to encourage you to trust God today with your next steps. Trust him and do not lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your way straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). God is doing something far greater than your eyes can see or your mind can understand. Trust him, wait patiently for him and believe that he has a good plan in store for you.

A.P.-Y.