Hope Where there is No Hope

Hope where there is no Hope

Ephesians 3:20 is a verse that I traditionally saw as the beginning of a good benediction at the end of Sunday service. But it is a gem of far greater value than that.

Here's the text: "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"

Father is able to do exceedingly abundantly.

Father is able to do above all that we ask.

Father is able to do above all that we think.

These are huge statements as we expect of the God who was, and is, and is to come.

But these statements should give us reassurance that no matter how impossible things may look to us, it is still worthwhile to speak with Father about them. We should be encouraged to continue in hope even when it would seem there is no longer a reason for hope.

Think about the changes you've seen in your life since you believed. Over time, your attitudes and actions have changed. Think about the changes in the life of someone you know who has placed their faith in Jesus.

Don't discount the value and power of your prayers, however faltering they may feel to you.

As an example from my own experience, a silent prayer I made in the back of a church I visited on very rare occasions, a prayer I thought would never result in change, was answered powerfully. Change began in that church. Mixed-covenant teaching began to fade away and be replaced by the unadulterated gospel of grace. God gave hope where there was no hope.

But our verse goes on. It declares that this great ability of Father's, this awe-inspiring power is "according to the power that works in us."

Wait. What!?

That's right. This ability to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think is according to the power that works in us. That's what's inside you, Saint. The power of the omnipotent One, the Almighty, the Source.

So, lift up your face and be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Though you be but little and fragile, He who is within you is BIG and powerful.

That's the way of grace. Giving hope where there is no hope.