Ephesians 3:20-21
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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Why is there a gap between the promises of God and our possession? There is a huge gap between our expectations and our experiences. For instance, today’s Scripture implies that our results should be GREATER than our prayers and our imaginations. But in all honesty, how many of us can testify that this Scripture is manifesting in their lives today?
If truth be told, most of us struggle just to get our prayers answered, let alone getting outcomes that are “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. Our requests and our results hardly match! Moreover, how many of us (me included) can honestly attest that our experiences supersede our expectations? Personally, I’m not too proud to admit that (as a Christian and a minister) I am not there yet. However, I am determined that this promise must become reality in all our lives forthwith. Can I get a witness?
So, back to why there is a gap between our expectations and our experiences in the Lord. One key is REVELATION. After praising God for the fact that all believers are already BLESSED with every spiritual blessing in heavenly realms in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), Paul prays that these blessed believers would receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the eyes of their hearts will be enlightened (1:17). Then they would get to know and experience the awesome destiny, heritage and power available for believers in Christ (1:18).
Why is revelation important? Because it brings faith. You see, revelation is seeing with your inner eyes. It’s seeing things from God’s perspective. It’s having a deep-seated awareness of who you are in Christ and what you already possess in Him. As a rule, we believe and receive in relation to how we perceive. If you don’t have a revelation of the awesome love of God for you, of His great faithfulness and His unlimited power toward you, your faith will likewise be paltry. So, your prayers will largely be faithless. And you can’t please God that way (Hebrews 11:6)!
Let us illustrate this principle with the story of Elisha and his servant when they were besieged by the armies of Syria (2 Kings 6:8-20). Elisha’s servant panicked when he saw the hordes of Syria arrayed against them with his physical eyes. But Elisha didn’t. Why not? Because Elisha saw with his spiritual eyes the vast army of God outnumbering the enemy army. He asked God to open the young man’s eyes. To his utter amazement, he began to see what the prophet also saw. That’s revelation!
I also pray that your eyes and mine will be enlightened for us to know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) and that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). May we boldly declare that if God is for us, nobody can be against us (Romans 8:31). May we be more aware of the presence, power and goodness of God on our behalf. Then the gap between the promises of God and our possession will collapse. Can I have a witness?
Pastor Josh