07 Apr Bringing Power to the Powerless
A couple of years ago a friend told me she was memorizing Ephesians 3:14-21, and I decided to join her. With lots of repetition and persistence, the passage began to settle in my memory. I have repeated it to myself probably hundreds of times since then.
Many times this passage has come to mind and given me the words to pray for others when I have nothing to offer of my own. I notice that it repeats the word “power” four times in the NLT When I feel powerless, I’ve prayed this prayer over and over with and for friends and family.
One such time occurred while serving at a camp for teen moms two summers ago. My daughter and I cared for six precious toddlers while their moms attended camp activities and learned about Jesus. The young moms were doing their best, trying to finish high school while raising their babies, but the road was uphill. It was tough to accept that beyond that one week there was nothing we could do for the children or their moms. Nothing, that is, but pray. On the last night we kept the kids, we wrapped each child, one by one, in a special blanket. We prayed these verses over them, trusting that God has a plan for each of their lives, and He can do so much more than we might think to ask. It may be the only time anyone prays over them in their lives. We entrusted those tiny ones to the Lord and His sovereign understanding and power. It was freeing to accept that the Lord knows these little ones. They are powerless, but He has all the power to rescue them from every danger.
In our present season, the Lord reminds me that I need to embrace this prayer and His power for myself! My husband and I have been nearly overwhelmed with challenge in recent months. Issues with our own four children, depression, aging and dying parents, extended family brokenness, life inconveniences like a leaky roof, two broken washing machines – the list goes on. It’s been a bit comical actually how much has happened in one very short season. While I am quick to pray these verses for others, in my sinfulness and pride, I want to be powerful and handle everything in my life myself. I rely on my own strength and resources. But my strength is weak, failing, extremely limited, temporary, and I am reminded of that daily. By contrast, God’s power is infinite, unchanging, capable, strong, and good. His resources are glorious and unlimited!
As I pray these words, I am strengthened by the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. My eyes are opened to see God at work in my circumstances and in the lives of others. I am encouraged when I worship with other believers and remember God’s unending power, His limitless love and His holiness. He is healing! He is redeeming! He is making all things new! It is in these moments that I experience the amazing, vast, deep love of Christ. I want to hide my weakness, but God reveals it and shows me how much I need to depend on Him, every moment. To think that His power is at work within me is too much to comprehend! He, who conquered death and redeems broken sinners like me, is the One who can accomplish infinitely more than I might ask, think, or even imagine. He is at work in all circumstances, bringing life, hope, and His power to the powerless.
-Keri Geary, Downtown Campus