When I think of all
this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his
glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through
his Spirit. Then
Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will
grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to
understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how
deep his love is. May you experience the
love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be
made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians
3:14-19
The other day, I was in a situation that bothered me. Deeply.
I tried to put my feelings into words at the time, and they seemed to
escape me. Taking more time to pause and
reflect, I was able to articulate what was happening. In my mind, I had gotten comfortable in my
faith believing that everything was happening because it was God’s will … until
I didn’t agree with it. Then I had begun
to question whether God was with me or better yet was I with God. When God makes us uncomfortable, He is trying
to make something change from within. A
pastor once called it a ‘Holy Discontent.’
It means something within our spirit is so disruptive we cannot shake it
and it will not let us go. It was scary,
and it made me want to run away and hide.
So, I began to just pray about it, and was reminded of one important
aspect in my faith journey.
My goal is to try understanding what God wants me to do, and
then draw on His strength to act. He
asks me to tune out the noise and trust Him.
That way, I move forward without worry or concern. There is an inner determination and infinite
strength telling me that where I am going is beyond my current condition, and
if I focus on Him, I will get there. This
is what spiritual growth sounds like.
When you allow God to lead you, spiritual growth is attainable. I love what Paul says in today’s verses. First, there are the words that talk of the
greatness of God. Words such as
‘glorious, unlimited resources’ and ‘wide, long, high, deep’ describing
Christ’s love for us. Next, it expands
on what God will give us. ‘Empower,
inner strength, experience, and strong’ are all words further underlining God’s
gifts that we should expect for our trust given to Him. Finally, the end result from all of this are
the words, “Made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes
from God.” While these are simply words
of prayer from Paul, they should be music to our ears when we are going through
something difficult or challenging. They
remind us that when we cannot see a way out of circumstances, God always has a
way for us. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who trust in the Lord will find
new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not
grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
This is what Paul understood as he prayed over the Ephesians for bigger
things beyond what they could see. Through
Christ, we have strength where there is seemingly none left, and love for us
when we feel alone. We can be neither defeated
nor denied for there is something better ahead for us. We only need to claim victory in His name.
There is nothing you cannot overcome with the Lord’s
help. Our spiritual growth is not about
our current circumstance. It is about learning
to see beyond our current circumstance to a future God intends for us. Therefore, let us connect to that inner
strength Paul spoke of looking beyond today and seeing our bright and glorious
future. What circumstances are affecting
your view of God today? How can you
allow God’s vision for your future dictate the decisions of your current
situation? My prayer is that we remember
to draw upon the infinite power of God.
Amen!
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