By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.”

– Oswald Chambers

Sometimes the endings of our prayers can be pretty simple. “In your name, amen.” Some people who are in a real hurry just quickly end it with a simple Amen.

But, one the best and one of my favorite endings to a prayer comes in the book of Ephesians written by Paul, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Whoa! The ending of Paul’s prayer is almost a prayer within itself! There is so much hope crammed into so few lines. We look forward to the fact that Jesus is the Savior of all people for generations forever and ever! We believe with great faith that He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever think to ask Him for or that we could possibly even conceive. That’s our God.

But I think that sometimes we read this ending to Paul’s prayer and we fail to realize the most hope-filled part!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

What Paul is saying is that we should praise God because He is able to do the unimaginable and unexpected through His power in us! It is only because His power works in and through us that God can do the unimaginable!

Sure, God can do the incredible and unexpected on His own. He can perform miracles and do the impossible. But there is so much more that He is wanting to do, not just on His own, but He wants to partner with us!

The great thing is that God doesn’t have to. If He didn’t want to use humans in His divine plan He wouldn’t have to. If He didn’t want to use us in the expanding of His Kingdom He wouldn’t have to. But instead, God decided to fill us, move us, mold us, and use us. He wants us to be His hands and feet on earth.

The power that Paul is talking about here is the same power that raised God from the grave. It is the resurrection power of God that is at work in us, enabling us to do the unexpected and unbelievable.

God is ready to do the unplanned and amazing in your life. But not by your power, but only by His. That is why He is deserving of our glory and praise. Because without Him we are nothing. It is only through His power that we are able to live life with a Purpose and a Plan.