Super Abundant Grace-
Merry Friday by Parris Bailey
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” Eph. 3:20
Once again I’m compelled to turn to the book of Ephesians. I think Paul took ink and paper and became an artist in this book. He loved to paint a picture of words. This scripture continues to challenge me throughout 2012. What I failed to realize is that he is talking about our prayer life and the power of God working through us.
You see God goes beyond our thinking and our asking. He likes to transcend all powers of the mind. I shall never ask too much, I have never thought too much, till I have asked beyond God’s ability till I have thought beyond God’s ability, which of course is impossible. But yet Paul challenges us to enlarge our prayer life to take on petitions beyond our human understanding.
John Gill said “Its the Incomparable power of God to grant petitions. This illimitable power displays itself by conferring spiritual gifts in superabundance. Omnipotence is the ability to do all and all that it can do has never been achieved. God’s ability to answer prayer transcends not only our spoken petitions but far surpasses even such thoughts as are too big for words, and too deep for utterance. And still those desires which are dumb from their very vastness, and amazing from their very boldness, are insignificant requests compared with the power of God. For we know little of his promises, and so weak is our faith in them, that we ask not. He gives far more than the boldest prayer can express.”
When is the last time you stretched out your dreams and visions and cried to even greater depths and greater heights, until we say, “thou hast done exceedingly above all that we ask.” Another commentary states, “The finite can never grasp the infinite and our poor mortal capacities cannot hold God’s idea of pardon. We may have some notion of forgiveness, but not until you yourself have entered personally into the mystery of this forgiveness, can you understand or have any hint of the depth of the sea into which God has cast the sins of which we have repented.” You see there are so many faucets of the Christian life that go beyond everything we could have dreamed of, forgiveness being one of them and holiness and the mercy of God just to name a few.
Paul called it super abundant grace, its the power that He implanted into His people. This power that works in us is the measure and means of the limitless ability of God to do for us and in us far more than we ask or receive. It’s time to open up the gates and let the King of Glory come in!
How do we tap into this power? Well by being filled with the fulness of God to overflow capacity. And taking Paul’s prayer to try to understand the love of God which surpasses knowledge. Reach out to grasp the heights, plunge into the depths and live in its breath.
The Expository Bible said, “Paul saw the plentitude of God’s gifts outreaching him. God’s giving surpasses immeasurably our thoughts and asking, but there must be the asking and thinking for it to surpass. He puts always more into our hand and better things than we expected when the expectant hand is reached out to him. Man’s desire will never overtake God’s bounty.”
I think it’s nigh time we all go back into our prayer closets and let prayer paint our world with the glory of God.