Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen.

My favorite verse. This verse. Every time I read it, a twinge of excitement and joy swell up inside me. This verse. It speaks volumes over my life and life in general. It speaks of the power of God, he who is all-powerful.

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty big imagination. I’ve even written an entire blog about its imposing presence. I like to dream big. I like to imagine right out to the ends of reality and then take a step further. I like releasing myself from the constraints of my logical mind and reach out to the furthermost possibilities. But that’s just me.

But wait… that is me. Me, Kyndra, child of God, child of the same God this verse is referring to. And I am part of the “we” that the verse speaks of. That means the “all we ask or imagine” also includes my expanse of imagination.

Wait…

What?…

Really?!

Can I just take a moment to express haw amazing that fact is. I mean, if I imagine a perfect scenario for my life, with all the bits and pieces all perfectly placed together, God can do better than that. He can do not just better, but immeasurably better. What?! The verse is basically telling me that my little mind can’t even begin to comprehend the “better” that God can and will do in my life and in everyone’s lives. That’s crazy! That’s awesome!

Whew.

Okay, now that I have released some of the excitement, I must admit that like any verse, there are still elements of it that I haven’t completely grasped (little mind, right!). So while the first part of this verse excites me to no end, and the last part makes perfect sense, that little phrase in the middle still gets me, “according to his power that is at work within us.”

Now at first glance (and second and third and four…), this seems to simply refer to the Holy Spirit working within us. Got it! Only, after reading this verse for the seven millionth time, it seems like I am missing something. Yeah, this phrase is clearly talking about the Holy Spirit. I mean God within us is the Holy Spirit. That’s Christianity 101. But something else is there and I can’t quite identify it. So as I was mulling over it this morning, I decided to start writing (and here we are). I figure the best way for God (through the Holy Spirit) to speak to me is through my gift. So here I am, writing, thinking, contemplating, praying, and hoping that what I have missed all the other times I read this verse will finally make itself clear.

My initial questions, observations, and contemplation were as follows:

1. What is the power doing? Working, yes, but literally what is it doing? Is it changing our minds or our actions or both? Does it move in on our character or simply urge us in the right direction? Are my thoughts and my actions a result of God’s power “working” in me?
2. If the latter is true, then are my dreams (the realistic ones) a product of my own conception or God’s vision for me? Where does the line form?
3. Moreover, if I chose to pursue something within me that I believe God has placed in me, does that power of God also help me to attain that end?

The blood-washed believer in me wants to say yes to all of the above, that the power of God that is working in me is doing all of that and more. If this is true, than I need not worry about anything. The Holy Spirit is handling business! All I have to do is follow suit. According to this understanding of this verse, God’s got a plan that’s bigger than anything I could work up and on top of that, he sent the Holy Spirit to get to work on it the moment I accepted Christ.

So all of that stress and worry and fear that bubble inside me are simply the weak elements of my soul, elements that can be strengthened by allowing the Holy Spirit to do what he came here to do, fix me up and set me right. If my understanding is correct (and I never claim to be any sort of biblical scholar), this verse just went from awesome to beyond amazing.

I was running around being encouraged by the first phrase alone. Now I have the whole verse to comfort me and drive me forward. Thank you, God.

On this day I pray, dear God, dear Holy Spirit. Do not let my weak sinful soul keep you from working wonders in my life. I am committed to the plan I know nothing about and I trust you to see it through. I anticipate what you will do. All glory to you, my Father. Amen.