“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Ephesians 3:20
Some time passed from the day the Lord told Abram to look aournd him in the plain of Mamre and survey the land from the north, the south, the east and the west, that all of it was given to him and to his descendants forever. As far as his eyes could see there was a vast expanse of territoy.
The magnitude of God’s manner in dealing with His people in terms of blessings can be staggering to the mind. Most of us would consdier that we have viivid imaginations and can think of all sorts of extravagant and outlandish things. So, when we read this passage;
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Ephesians 3:20
do we often think, I got a pretty vivid imagination, implying, that whatever God has in miud I’m sure I can at least match it. NO! You can’t. And neither can I or any one of us.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way.
“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]…” Ephesians 3:20
Now before all this took place, when God first spoke to Abram, while he and his family were living in Haran (which means, delay) after traveling from their home in Ur, God makes this amazing promise to Abram that he would be the father of a great nation.
“Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3
Here is the Amplified version of this passage.
“NOW [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others]. And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]. Genesis 12:1-3
If imagining himself taking ownership of such a large territory as God had promised was overwhelming to Abram, how much more incomprehensibly astounding it must have been to him to hear God say I’m going to make you a great nation, especially, since he was already 90 years old and the years were passing by. So, Abram asks God, where is the evidence that I will be the Father of even one son, not to mention a multitude of sons and daughters? The only son that has been born in my house to this point is my steward, Eliezer of Damascus. Perhaps he will be my heir. But God tells him, No! My plan A is still in force and there is no plan B. You will have a son of your own body.
In order to drive the point home, God takes Abram outside and gives him a picture to put his faith in scope.
“Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Genesis 15:5
Whoa!!!
God tells Abram to look up at the stars, which he could never number, and get the picture in his mind that if the stars could be numbered then he would know how many descendants he would have. By any standard of imagination that is a staggering thought. But Abram didn’t stagger.
“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:19-21
Is it any wonder that he was commended for his faith in God’s promises that he did not stagger at the promise that he, now 90 years old, would begin having children? It just simply says,
“And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:6
How often has God spoken a Word to us of prophecy or promise in His Word that was so far beyond our mundane comprehension that we could not allow ourselves to simply believe it and receive it, but rather staggered at the enormity of the idea, and given way to doubt, or question, or allowed the promise to be taken from us through unbelief?
Yes, the promises of God for us are amazing indeed, but they are not given for us to miss or lose through doubt, unbelief or staggering. They are given to us to believe, to receive and to enjoy together with Him.
Are you tempted to give up on a promise of God or an earnest expectation of prayer, because by all human measure it appears to you to be impossible? Have the voices of those who are not God come in to drown out the Word of God and cause you to doubt Him?
Have circumstances, human limitations, limited resources kept you from earnestly taking hold, by faith that what God has premised HE WILL DO, no matter how impossible it may seem to men?
If so, take heart, look up to the heavens see the stars and the vast expanse of space and know that the God Who promised you everything is well able to and will deliver on His promises as we believe the Lord, even as Abram did, even when there was no hope. God blesses us and He will not disappoint our hope in Him.
“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5