|
15For this reason, ever since I heard about
your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I
have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he
has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is
like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in
Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand
in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority,
power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the
present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all
things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the
church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
everything in every way. When Paul prayed for the Ephesians, he didn’t ask God to give them anything new. Instead, he prayed they would comprehend the power they already had through Jesus Christ. Specifically, he asked that God would help them understand that they have available to them the same “incomparably great” power God exercised when he raised Jesus from the dead (vv. 19 - 20) While men have found ways to split the atom and land on the moon, they haven’t - and won’t - overcome death. Yet God can and did. And every follower of Jesus can depend on the same power God used to raise Jesus. The next time you’re faced with a problem that seems too big for you to handle, don’t pray for more power. Instead, ask God to help you use the power you already have in Jesus Christ.
|
