The God Who Hears: 7 Days in Paul's Prayers From PrisonSample

Day 2: Power Up

If it’s to be, it’s up to me is a mantra repeated in our culture repeatedly in one form or another. Have you heard it? Have you even said it or thought it? In some cases, solo effort works, but when it comes to living the Christian life—especially in getting through adversities and coming out victorious—we don’t have the power to make that happen within ourselves. This is why Paul prayed for the Ephesians to know God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19).

If you study Ephesians 1:19 in the original Greek, you begin to appreciate what Paul is doing here. He’s throwing even the kitchen sink at the church, trying to explain how great God’s power truly is. The word “incomparably” means “to surpass” or “to exceed.” The word for “great” is the Greek word megethos, from which we get the word megaton, which describes the power of an atomic bomb—an “explosive force equivalent to that of one million tons of TNT.” This is the only place the word megethos is found in the entire New Testament.*

To emphasize the greatness of this power, in verse 20 Paul says, “That power is the same as the mighty strength [God] exerted when he raised Christ from the dead.” Though the word “power” is repeated, this is a different Greek word that gives us the English word “energy.” The word “mighty” is from the Greek word kratos, which means “might” or “ruling power.”** (A democracy is where the people rule, an aristocracy is where the wealthy rule, but the entire universe is a theocracy because everything is under God’s rule.)

All this is important because when we add it up, we see that we should pray, God, today, in everything I do, help me know your incomparably great power according to the power of the power of your power! That’s a pretty powerful statement! Normally, you would never ask someone to tell you how powerful they are, but God invites us to ask him about his power and to know it.

Now, it’s one thing to know the God of power, but we should also experience the power of God. It’s one thing to believe that God is all-powerful, but it’s another to know that power, experience that power, and believe that power lives in us. In other words, it’s incredible to know we have access to all the power we need to do what we ought to do and to be what we ought to be— all that we cannot do in our power.

We also need to know the power of God to understand what we need to understand. Jesus said to Sadducees, who believed there was no resurrection, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power.”

Knowing and truly experiencing God’s power comes through prayer to the God who hears. How many times have we failed where we might have succeeded because we counted on our power rather than counting on God’s power? How often have we tried to make it on our own rather than asking God for his power?

Whatever you’re facing today, you have the power of the God who created everything within you. No matter what gets you down, you can power up and power through with the power God grants those who believe, and that should give you the boldness, confidence, and peace you need.

In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul concludes another message with, “According to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory.” Amen!

All-powerful God, I know your incomparably great power is always available to me, for I believe in you. I trust you to give me the power I need to do what I need to do and to be what I need to be for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

* Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 269

**Hoehner, Ephesians, 269.