Exceedingly Abundantly Above Niv

[Stella Kreuter]

Nowunto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly

This is the conclusion of the apostle's prayer, in which the power of God is celebrated, a perfection which is essential unto God, and is very large and extensive; it reaches to all things, to every thing that he wills, which is his actual or ordinative power; and to more things than he has willed, which is his absolute power; and to all things that have been, are, or shall be, and to things impossible with men; though there are some things which God cannot do, such as are contrary to his nature, inconsistent with his will, his decrees and purposes, which imply a contradiction, and are foreign to truth, which to do would be to deny himself: but then he can do

above all that we ask or think;

he can do more than men ask for, as he did for Solomon: God knows what we want before we ask, and he has made provisions for his people before they ask for them; some of which things we never could, and others we never should have asked for, if he had not provided them; and without the Spirit of God we know not what to ask for, nor how to ask aright; this affords great encouragement to go to God, and ask such things of him as we want, and he has provided; and who also can do more than we can think, imagine, or conceive in our minds.

According to the power that worketh in us:

either in believers in common, meaning the Spirit of God, who is the finger and power of God, who begins, and carries on, and will finish the work of grace in them, and which is an evidence of the exceeding greatness of the power of God; or in the apostles in particular, in fitting and furnishing them for their work, and succeeding them in it; which is another proof and demonstration of the abundant power of God, and shows what he can do if he pleases.

We ask you to pray that God will continue to provide exceedingly and abundantly for our ministry. May the Lord Jesus richly bless you in proclaiming His creation truth to the next generation and beyond.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 [NKJV]

Last year a plan was made to take a college team from Mount Zion Baptist Church on mission to Gaborone, Botswana. My dear friend, Lisa Armstrong, shared she had always wanted the opportunity to go on mission to Africa, and requested to go along with us. Once arrangements were made for her to join us, the idea came to invite a few bereaved moms there to a luncheon to encourage and connect them with one another.

Parents divided into smaller groups to share their stories with one another, followed by a large group session to discuss specific challenges and struggles of child loss. The weekend retreat that was held the following weekend (June 23-25), was formatted in the same way.

In the US when we host the retreats we are present and actively involved as facilitators in each of the sessions. Prior to The Gathering as we prayed about our roles in the event we felt strongly led we should not be present in their small groups as they shared their stories. The considerations that most influenced us in that decision were wanting them to have the freedom to speak in the heart language of many there (Setswana) without feeling the need to translate or interpret for us, as well as a desire to avoid unintentionally hurting someone by responding inappropriately through cultural ignorance to any specific situations that might be shared.

The topic time at the weekend retreat did not require translation, but we followed what we had learned through The Gathering and chose once again not to interject ourselves into their discussion and primarily served the role of microphone transporters as group members took turns sharing challenges, hopes and encouragement with one another.

Both events were opened and concluded by Brent and Amanda Turner, (our partner missionaries living in Gaborone, Botswana) with the intention of connecting everyone there with someone living locally who can continue to point them to Christ and help them find community moving forward. Additionally, each of us on the team shared our stories of child loss, how Christ has carried and sustained us, and the Hope we have through the gospel. Brent concluded each of the events with a clear presentation of the gospel as well.

As I reflect on all we have seen God do the past two weeks alone, I stand in awe of Him yet again. I look at the progression of the events and see us like pin balls, strategically bounced to and fro as He directed each decision.

Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 [NASB95]

At the conclusions of both The Gathering and the weekend retreat parents stayed afterward to connect and begin planning ministry for bereaved parents moving forward. I can not wait to see how God works through them and others in the days ahead.

In addition to the two bereaved parents events, God opened a door for us to host a conference for approximately 40 church leaders and pastors on caring for grieving people. And a fourth event was hosted for counselors and health care providers to discuss mental health and grief care, where we were able to stress the profound importance of the Hope of Jesus Christ for suffering people.

I am indescribably grateful that God graciously chose to allow us, a team of grieving parents, the blessing of being used in some small way to care for and connect grieving parents with one another in Botswana. His tender compassion in allowing us to be used as part of His plan is further evidence of His nearness to us also, as fellow brokenhearted, and His faithfulness to use all things, even the worst of things, for our good and His glory.

I stand in awe with praise and worship that He indeed is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I soaked up each detail you shared and am so thankful for your (and everyone with you) investment in the lives of the people of Botswana. It is a beautiful thing to see the Lord at work! Praising Him with you!

The Bible tells us that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than what we can ask or think. Acknowledging that the verses say this is according to the power in us, but this is still such a significant statement. I was meditating on this verse, and it occurred that I can think of so many blessings that God has granted me and often, it is so much more than I asked and even more than I could imagine. So this made me wonder, are there many examples of this in the Bible? And will these examples help to increase our faith in Him and see his love for us even clearer?

The word power in the verse above means miraculous power, ability or strength. Additionally, when we look at the verses above Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul prays that God would grant his people strength by the Spirit. That Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith, being rooted in love and may be able to comprehend the love of Christ that they may be filled with the fullness of God. Maybe Paul is saying that the power that worketh in us has to do with our faith in God and how much we allow Christ to dwell in us. And so this power is the power of God that worketh in us, but we need to choose Him, have faith in Him, build that relationship with Him, and then this promise is for us that He will do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:16-21).

Hannah longed for children, but she was unable to. She prayed to the Lord, and God granted her petition, and she bore a son. An even more than that, her son became a great prophet of the Lord who would walk with God all the days of his life and was used by God to direct his Kings on earth. What a privilege? Samuel heard directly from the Lord; a rare gift back then had. And as if that was not enough, God granted Hannah more children. She had three sons and two daughters. God granted Hannah exceedingly abundantly more than she asked. (1 Samuel 1-2).

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Dynamis: inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth; power for performing miracles; moral power and excellence of soul; the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth; power and resources arising from numbers; power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts.

1. Belief is more than we know (or practice); it is more than something we exercise to begin the salvation process. Faith lays hold of the grace of God for all God intends to accomplish in and through each one of us. If we do not believe in the exceedingly, abundantly, and greater-than life, we will not have the grace of God for it.

We are saved by grace, through faith for the entirely of our lives. Working out our salvation means there is something for us to do. We are not suggesting that works save us, but that our faith is perfected by our works (i.e., the work of faith).

As you consider the meaning of this for you and those entrusted to your care and responsibility, keep in mind that the Father sent the Holy Spirit to bring us into all truth (John 14:26). He is also our transformer (2Corinthians 3:18), the One who renews our mind (Romans 12:2), and our strong ally against the deception and discouragement of our carnal mind.

Do you need God to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE all you could ask or think? Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He is able to do just that! If you desire for Him to move on your behalf and work exceedingly abundantly above for you, read on for an encouraging word and sample prayer!

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