When I was 22 years old, I was graduating college and preparing to begin my life in ministry. Unfortunately, there was much more anxiety than expectancy in my heart, likely because the ministry path was still unfamiliar to me. Had God called me to coaching or law, I would have felt more prepared!
As I’ve journeyed with God, though, I’ve discovered this feeling is common, since He often calls us to do things beyond our personal capacity so His glory is demonstrated through our lives. This reality has taught me that living God’s plan isn’t about our readiness—it’s about our willingness to follow Him into the unknown. The question then becomes: how do we position ourselves to walk faithfully in what God has called us to?
In Ephesians 1:15–21 and 3:16–21, Paul provides a beautiful framework through his prayer for the Church. He prays that we would be enlightened and empowered to become the type of people that invite God’s abundant blessing into our lives—blessing unequal to our capacity and reflective of His glory.
The foundation of this journey begins with complete surrender. In Ephesians 3:1, Paul calls himself a prisoner of the gospel. A prisoner is in total submission to his captor, with no agenda of his own. In the same way, we must be completely subservient to whatever God asks of us, even when it feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
But surrender is only the beginning. Once we’ve yielded our lives to God’s purposes, we must also be willing to grow and develop, because God’s plan requires faithful stewardship of His call. In verses 7-9, Paul understands that everything he does flows through the power of God’s grace working in his life. This is crucial for us to grasp: God doesn’t bless those who think they can handle everything on their own. He intentionally leads us into spaces too big for us so that we know we must rely on Him.
This reliance on God naturally leads us to the third essential element: embracing God’s power through the Holy Spirit. In verses 14-17, we see Paul spending time in prayer, being strengthened by God’s presence and empowered by His Spirit. We too must allow Christ to dwell in us richly so His power increases in us to do the things we never dreamt God could do through our lives.
All of this—the surrender, the development, the Spirit’s empowerment—culminates in one glorious purpose: bringing God praise. In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul closes his prayer in worship: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
When we surrender completely, grow faithfully, and embrace His Spirit fully, we position ourselves to watch Christ’s power accomplish immeasurably more through our lives than we could ever dream possible!
