Far More Abundantly

That according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:18-21, ESV)

“Far more abundantly…” I love that translation of this verse. It’s as if one word wasn’t enough to describe God’s ability to do beyond anything we can dream up. So these three words were grouped together in hopes that we would begin to grasp the greatness of His ability to move and work in our lives. But here’s the thing -- I don’t think these three words can even come close to doing Him justice. There’s not a word or phrase in the English language that can describe our immeasurable God. If it’s beyond our ability to think or imagine, it’s most definitely beyond our vocabulary.

This “far more abundantly” has always instilled hope in me. It’s often encouraged me when

circumstances weren’t what I had hoped they would be or when I’ve entered into new stages in my life. It is true that the future of those who follow Christ is far more abundant than we could ask or imagine. However, I’m beginning to realize that this verse goes much deeper than God’s ability to blow me away with His future plans for me. He is able to do immeasurably more “according to the power at work within us.” (v.20) This power at work within us, the Holy Spirit, is transforming us. As we learn to surrender to Him, we become more like Christ. As we begin to realize God’s vast love for us, we become more secure and confident in His ways and not ours. As we begin to experience more and more of that love, we are “filled with all the fullness” (v.19) and power of God.

God doesn’t just want to blow us away with how He works for us. He wants to blow us away with how He works in and through us. He desires to do “far more abundantly” in our hearts than we could ask or imagine. He desires to do “far more abundantly” through us for His kingdom than we could ask or imagine. And yes, as a result of that, He will do “far more abundantly” in our lives than we could ask or imagine. But He starts with our hearts. He desires to make us into His children that reflect Him and His glory to the world.

So, this verse still gives me great encouragement and hope. But now this hope goes beyond God’s ability to move in my circumstances and cuts deep into my heart. I am confident that He is ready to blow me away with how He can change my heart and free me from the sin and struggle of this world. I am confident that He can do immeasurably more that I can ask or imagine through me. This shifts my focus from selfish pursuit to kingdom purposes and allows me to see His far more abundant ability at work in my life no matter my circumstances.

As you go throughout your week this week, consider these things:

• Are you focused on your desire to see God change your circumstances for your own satisfaction and peace of mind or on God’s ability to use your circumstances for a far more abundant purpose?

• Do you truly want to know Christ and His love, or are you just seeking Him for His benefits?

• When was the last time you asked God to use you for His kingdom in a way that was far beyond anything you could dream up?

His plan for our lives rarely looks like what we could have envisioned for ourselves. And that’s the beauty of serving a God whose ways are higher than our ways, whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). Take comfort, and expect the unimaginable.