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^“Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think….”   Ephesians 3:20  NET   

Funny how we can read something over and over, maybe even memorize it, but the only meaning that comes through is the meaning we expect. Perhaps you’re like me — for years reading Ephesians 3:20.  All I saw was that God could do far beyond all we ask or think. Thank God for that, but it goes further.

What about that other part, “by the power that is working within us”?

Think about instances in Scripture where God’s power came through people. Remember when Jesus spoke to five thousand hungry men and their families? All they had were five donated loaves of bread and two fish.  He said to the disciples, “You feed them.”  God used the weak and uncertain disciples as instruments of His power.

Or what about when the angel of the Lord approached Gideon, who was threshing wheat while hiding from the enemy? The angel greeted him by saying, “Hail, mighty warrior.”  Gideon felt anything but mighty, yet as a willing instrument of God, he went out and conquered the enemy.

Or when the children of Israel were battling the Amalekites in the desert? The Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, prevailed as long as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms. It was not the power of Moses, his staff, or Joshua’s military expertise that made the battle successful. It was the power of God working through all of them.

Or Daniel, when King Nebuchadnezzar had his frightening dreams? Daniel could never have told the king his dreams or interpreted them accurately. But by the power of God working within Daniel, he knew exactly what the king had dreamed and what it meant.

So as you go through your day, and your week, and your year . . . bear in mind that those things you think you can’t do—you’re probably right if you try them on your own. But by “the power that is working within us,” we can be God’s instruments. Knowing that should give us courage when God says, “Go and do,” and we don’t see any way to do it.

“Father, we are weak and powerless on our own. Help us to be willing instruments so that when you say, “Go and do,” your purposes can be accomplished through us.”

For His Glory

Cherie Harbridge Williams
TRBC Women’s Life