Have you ever heard the expression, “More power to you”? There are many ways and venues in which we seek power. Some of them are good, and some are bad. When it comes to the power to make it through this life of ours in a way that honors God, it is good. God is willing to send His power to energize our lives.
The apostle Paul was a man of prayer. Here he prays for his listeners or readers a petition for power. I am sure he would want the same thing for us. We do not have to navigate the Christian life alone and helplessly. Not only do we have help, but we have divine help consisting of divine power. This power is given for a purpose or several purposes.
God Gives Us the Power to Do More (vv. 16-17a)
Having the power of the Spirit available to the inner person inevitably gives us strength. We need the strength to say no to things that are not becoming to a Christian. We need to develop Christian virtues. We need strength to do the work we are called to do. We need the strength to simply meet the challenges of life.
God Gives Us the Power to Love More (v. 17)
He also prays for love. Loving may seem natural, but often it is not the case. However, love is the cardinal virtue of the church. We should be rooted and established in love. Here Paul uses two images: one from agriculture and one from industry. We should have deep roots in love. He also says love should be our foundation. We want to be strong trees or strong buildings, and love is the key.
God Gives Us the Power to Know More (v. 18-19a)
Paul moves from talking about our love to talking about Christ’s love. How could we exhibit godly love if we had no example of it? Paul prayed for us to have knowledge, but knowledge of what? It is said that knowledge is power, and there are many things that are good to know. In this case, Paul wants us to know about Jesus’ love and to know it more and more. He wants us to know how wide, long, high and deep is God’s love.
While it is likely that Paul would not want us to dissect these words to make them completely distinct from each other, these words suggest to our imaginations vivid pictures for us. The wideness of God’s love shows He is willing to love all kinds of people. His love is long enough to stand the test of time and eternity. His love is deep enough to reach the lowliest sinner, and it is high enough to bring us to heavenly realms.
God Gives Us the Power to Experience More (vv. 19b-21)
Paul wants us to be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” That is dramatic enough, but this part of the text becomes a beautiful benediction. God is able, says Paul, to do more than we ask or imagine.”
He is able to do more than we ask. We can ask a lot. He is able to do more than we can imagine. We can imagine a lot. Not only that, but He wants to do “immeasurably more.” That is a huge claim. God wants to exceed our expectations when it comes to blessings.
We often worry about where our power will come from in the future. We have used fossil fuel, wind, water and atomic power. Many are working toward the day when the sun will give us our power. If it can be harnessed effectively, sun power is virtually inexhaustible. Even the sun will have its day.
When it comes to the Christian life, we have an inexhaustible power to energize our lives and make us useful to the kingdom. So, “More power to you.”