“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
God’s power toward us is described as surpassingly great and working according to the strength of His might. That is a lot of power. And it is directed at us who believe.
Here is another reference to the “working of God’s power.” “The Gentiles are fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power” (Ephesians 3:6-7).
Paul’s gift of being a minister of the gospel is not only given according to God’s grace, but also given according to God’s power. This gives us a hint that not only is God’s power directed toward us, but could it also be working through us?
“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). God’s power dwells in you by His Spirit in your inner man.
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20). God’s power is not just directed toward us. It is living and working in us. You have the power of God in you!
“For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Colossians 1:29). The mighty strength of God’s power shown in our first verse is now working mightily in us. Paul works, Paul labors, not in his own willpower or self-effort. He only labors in line with the Spirit’s power working mightily in him.
God wants to work mightily through you. Mightily is not measured in number of folks reached, not measured in number of verses memorized, not measured by your social footprint. Mightily is us doing the work that God has placed in front of us by the power of His Spirit dwelling in us.
That is why God can call us to “work” and “rest” at the same time. Jesus is doing the heavy lifting. Jesus is drawing the lost. Jesus is empowering the fruit of the Spirit in us. We are the participants as we align our lives with His leading. May you find rest and at the same time feel the rush of the powerful Spirit of God working through you.