More than Able


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 3:20–21, esv).

God is able.

There aren’t many three-word, nine-letter sentences that can stir a person’s heart the way this one does. I see a spark ignite across people’s faces every time I say it. God is able. It’s powerful. Pregnant with hope and confidence. And it’s real. The fact is, God IS able.

But not even this ample statement tells the whole story. He is able, yes, but “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.

Truly, if anything can top “God is able,” it’s that He can do even more.

More than you. Perhaps I’m catching you on a day when you’d admit your strength is just about gone. Your resources are spent. All your ideas have been tried, all your escapes exhausted. All your alternative solutions have proven ineffective, perhaps even made things worse. You don’t know what else to do.

Then I’ve got good news from God’s Word: you don’t have to. The God you serve is not limited by what you could ask, if you could even think of what to say. He is not bound by what you could accomplish if you were working at full capacity and focusing only on this one thing. He can do more than you can do. He is that able—and more.

More than it appears. God is always doing more than it might look like He’s doing—behind the scenes, between the lines, beyond the human constraints of time and space. He doesn’t have to flash it. He doesn’t need to show everybody what He’s up to, just to avoid being called impotent or unwilling. But in every circumstance, every single day, God is working.

He is at work in the hearts of those who are yielded to Him. He is at work through people who know Him and love Him. He is working when you can’t see it or measure it or point to it. And though you may question the silence, you can trust by faith His promises. He’s at work, doing more.

More than healthy boundaries would allow you to try. If you’re one of those people who tries to do too much, I can relate to that. The Lord has had to teach me some painful lessons to convince me that learning to say “no” to good things is an indispensable part of obeying His calling to do the most important things. So I wouldn’t be surprised if you know what I’m talking about—situations in your life where you’re stretching yourself so thin, cutting the margins so close, that you can’t keep it up without something imploding.

But God never looks across the landscape of His responsibilities and thinks He might have a hard time pulling it off this quarter. Why then do we exhaust ourselves trying to do more than our bodies and brains can safely accommodate when we have a God who says He’s able to do far more?

Stop putting God through the grid of human limitation. He is not a man; He is infinite and eternal. He is ruling the universe with His feet up. And He can do everything required to keep you functioning and fulfilled.

And more.

Journal

  • Where are you most in need of seeing the ability of God at work in your life right now?
  • How are you praying toward that end? How are you intentionally trusting Him by faith?

Pray
Father in heaven, thank You for making me a child of the Most High God through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for reaching toward me in love and grace, showing me time after time expressions of Your limitless ability. Remind me, Lord, because I forget so easily, that You are beyond-able to do Your holy will as well as respond to my needs in Your omnipotence and goodness. I come asking today, confident that You can do so much more than I ask, through Jesus’ name, amen.