I am in the middle of a study titled, Faithful, Abundant, True by Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer & Beth Moore. Priscilla shared this verse:
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 & in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever & ever! Amen”
Ephesians 3: 20, 21 NIV)
Such a familiar portion of Scripture. Such a powerful portion of Scripture. Over the last few days, I have gone back & read that verse several times. I became fixated on one word out of the whole portion…
“NOW”.
As defined by dictionary.com, “now” means:
- at the present time or moment
- without further delay
A simple 3-letter word yet it truly packs a wallop. And as I began to think on it for the last few days, it did just that – packed its punch. I found myself challenged by this question:
Do I really believe that my God is a NOW kind of God?
If I do, then He is NOW with me in my current circumstance, whatever that may be. That would mean that NOW, in whatever difficulty, whatever impossible situation, whatever pain, whatever hopelessness we may feel, HE IS WITH US NOW.
And if He is with us NOW then that means He is NOW able to do immeasurably more than we can think or imagine. We often think that He will do the immeasurably or the abundantly only when things are going well. But if I am reading this verse correctly, He is NOW able.
So NOW…
while facing relational struggles,
while short on patience with children,
while facing a health diagnosis,
while facing the remarriage of a spouse,
while wondering what tomorrow holds,
while trying to make ends meet,
while calling in hospice,
while stuck due to the housing market,
while frustrated in a job position…..
NOW – HE IS ABLE TO DO IMMEASURABLY MORE THAN ALL WE ASK OR IMAGINE. It is to Him we come boldly before the throne & lay our petitions. For it is in the now that He is working. It is now, without further delay, in this present moment that He is.
