Look at what the Apostle Paul prays
for at the end of Ephesians chapter 1.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible
greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power
20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at
God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or
anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has
put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all
things for the benefit of the church.[i]
(Ephesians 1:19-22, NLT)
Paul could have prayed for
riches. He could have prayed for
political power, that slavery would be stopped or for any number of good,
important things. He could have prayed
for anything at all, and he chose to pray for understanding, understanding of
the incredible greatness of God’s power.
This is where the gospel starts.
It is all about Christ, “who fills all things everywhere with himself."
(Ephesians 1:23, NLT)
If we do not understand the
incredible greatness of our God, we cannot begin to understand the greatness of
the salvation He has given us.
Look at verse 21. Jesus is far above any ruler or authority or
power or leader or anything else. This kind of greatness is beyond our
ability to comprehend.
He fills all things.
In his letter to the Colossians Paul
tells us that Christ holds all things together. Picture with me the most
distant star that you can imagine. He holds that star together, and at
the same time he is here and is holding every cell in your body together.
How can we even begin to describe
someone who brought the universe into existence just by speaking? He did
not have bricks, dust, rocks, sand or any raw materials whatsoever. He
started with nothing, and then spoke into existence what He wanted.
When speaking about the great things
God has done on our behalf the Apostle Paul says:
"31 What shall we say about such wonderful
things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did
not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us
everything else?" (Romans 8:31-32, NLT)
Because of the incredible greatness
of God's power, we can have absolute confidence in Him.
[i]
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living
Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
