He Is Able

Eph.3:20, 21 – “Now to Him who, in consequence of the action of His power that is at work within us, is ABLE to carry out His purpose and do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or thing, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams – To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.” (Amp)

To those of us who call God, “Father,” these verses bring great comfort, peace and hope while living in this world with all of its questions, problems, pain and turmoil, and because it is God’s Word we know it is true and we can trust him to be El Shadai, God Almighty.

El Shadai is our Almighty, all sufficient, all wise, all loving, all merciful, all faithful God (our All in All) – He is ABLE to do for us infinitely beyond our finite imaginations and wildest dreams to carry out His purpose for us. He is everlasting; He never grows weary; He never sleeps nor goes on vacation. He is never distracted from our smallest problem by the great earth-shaking problems going on in the world or in someone else’s life. He is not “careless” with our needs and cries, but keeps every tear.

Our Almighty God is never without provision or weak or sick. He is never late nor is He unconcerned. He is never confused, but is a God of order and plan. He is never afraid of any formidable foe, for He is the Almighty, omniscient and omnipresent God, against Whom nothing nor anyone can stand – after all, He created that foe, can’t He subdue it? That foe is only formidable to us who are helpless without El Shadai being our defense. So, even for us, who or what is there to fear with our Almighty God being our rear guard; He winnows the path before us; He covers us with His presence and He is the Rock under our feet? He is the only One who can dispel all our fears. He cannot fear but is to be feared.

HE IS ABLE (Greg Ferguson)
He is able - more than able – to accomplish what concerns me today.
He is able - more than able to handle anything that comes my way.
He is able - more than able to do much more than I could ever dream.
He is able – more than able to make me what He wants me to be.

We have no other in heaven or on earth besides our Almighty God – and we want no other. He is the irreplaceable and one essential in life. We can live without everything and everyone else, but we can’t live without Him. He is filled up with power, ability and desire to meet our needs, spirit, soul and body. His almighty power is Who He is. His power is part of His DNA – part of His essence. It is never depleted for its much use and He is not dependent on anyone or anything else.

When Jesus was on this earth He manifested this almighty power not only when He stilled the stormy seas, raised the dead, cast out demon spirits, and healed the sick, but the power of God was manifested best when He changed men’s hearts (many of the disciples, Zacchaeus , the demoniac, Mary Magdalene, and more). If He can change our hearts from being rebellious, selfish and idolatrous to being submitted, loving, giving and focused only on Jesus, He certainly is ABLE to change, restore, renew, provide and to do abundantly more in any of our “situations.” As God was Able to take the Children of Israel out of Egypt’s bondage and to take them into their promised land, where there was plenty, freedom, He is Able, through His provision of salvation, bring us out of the dark bondage of sin into the light and liberty of “knowing” Jesus. What a mighty God we serve!

After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within all believers. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, and since the Holy Spirit lives within all of us believers, we have the “fullness of the Godhead” living within us, with all of Its innate power is at work within us (Colossians 2:9-10). So by His power at work in us we can resist temptations, be fearless, shrink from that which might offend God, and creating in us the power and desire to will and work for His good pleasure, satisfaction and delight (Philippians 2:12-13). This is dynamite (dunamis (Gr.) power – explosive! Therefore, we should not be reluctant to ask the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish those things God is calling us to that are far beyond what we can even imagine. Because of His wisdom and power the Holy Spirit will guide us into all Truth; He will teach us the will and ways of the Father; He will lead us in the right paths; He will comfort us in our sorrows and losses and He will lift us up when we are depressed or oppressed.

If we have all this power within us why do most Christians live far below all the benefits God has for them?” I suspect it is because they “believe” God can do anything but have never come to the place of “trusting” Him to do it for them. There is a difference between “belief” and “trust.” It is like a story I heard once about a crowd of people who were watching a man push a wheel-barrel across Niagra Falls on a tight-rope. After he had walked across and returned safely he asked a young man in the crowd if he thought he could push the wheel-barrel with someone in it across the Falls. The young man quickly said, “Yes.” The tight-rope walker then invited the young man to get in the wheel-barrel, but the young man declined because, although he believed the tight-rope walker could push the wheel-barrel (because he had seen him do it), he didn’t trust and put his confidence in the ability of the tight-rope walker to get him safely across. To believe is to have head knowledge, but we must believe to the point that our “knowing” drops into our hearts and we can “trust” our very lives to the One in which we “believe.”

Many believe Jesus is the divine Son of God (even Satan believes that), and maybe even believe His death on the cross was for the sins of mankind, but they have never “trusted” (to put their confidence in, rested in, and hoped in Him) for their salvation. Many believe God will do mighty things for others (because they have seen it), but that He is too busy, or their problem is too insignificant or personal for Him to care enough to answer their prayer. “Trusting” is crawling up into the wheel-barrel of God’s promises and character without seeing and experiencing the end result – this is “faith.” Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews ll:6). If we want to come near to God we must believe that God exists (most believe this, but the “kicker” comes next), and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out. The reward for our earnestly “seeking” Him with all our heart, is to find Him in all His glory and with all His answers, power, love and willingness “to do abundantly all we could ask or imagine” (Jeremiah 29:13).

So how do we get faith? Romans 10:7 tells us that “Faith comes by hearing what is told of the Word of God; the message that came from the lips of Christ the Messiah Himself” (Amp). We may hear it by preaching, by hearing others read God’s Words or by reading the Word ourselves, but we must “hear” not just with our ears but with our hearts and accept Its Truth and adhere to It and cling to It. Faith then becomes our conviction of the reality – the perceiving as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses. Faith moves God and He will bless us who have not “seen” yet believe in Him (just because He said so in His Word). Faith confesses, “My Almighty God said it, I believe it and that settles it.”

Did you know El Shadai is unmanageable? He is sovereign. Our Almighty God’s thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways (or He would not be God) (Isaiah 55:8). Our thoughts and ways are skewed because we are finite but God’s ways are perfect. Therefore, when we come to God with our problems and needs, we must not only come in faith that He hears us and is ABLE and willing to provide our needs, but that we are asking in His will. Some scriptures tell us plainly what is God’s will, others just allude to His will. If we are praying within all the guidelines of God’s will, why are we not experiencing the answers to our prayers?

1) One reason is that we are asking in a “evil” way. We are asking with selfish motives (James 4:3). 2) Another reason is that we are not “delighting” in the Lord. The Hebrew meaning for the word “delight” is, “to be soft and pliable.” Is your spirit submitted and yielded to whatever God’s will is for you (Psalm 37:4). If you are “delighting” in Him, “He will give you the desires of your heart.”

3)Another reason is that it may not be God’s time to bring about the answer. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us how God has a time for everything in this life. Verse eleven says, “In His time He makes all things beautiful.” By demanding an answer in our way and at our time is not submitting to His will, or “delighting” in Him. 4) We must always be led by the Holy Spirit in our asking and believing. We cannot see God’s almighty power exerted on our problem to do abundantly above all we could ask or think or expect Him to “make all things beautiful” when we are “stuck on ourselves” and our ways and ignoring the Holy Spirit. When we remain “filled” with Him, He can work in our lives to bring about “beautiful” answers.
So take all things to the Lord in prayer.

IN HIS TIME (Steven L. Foster)

In His time, In His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord please show me every day as you’re teaching me your way,
That you do just what you say in Your time.

In Your time, in Your time, You make all things beautiful in Your time.
Lord my life to you I bring, may each song I have to sing,
Be to You a lovely thing in Your time.

El Shadai is God of the “big and little stuff.” Philippians 4:19 says, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.” What is it about “all” that you don’t understand? All means “all.” Here are some synonyms from my thesaurus: completely, totally, wholly, every, any, each and every, everybody or anybody, anyone, anything, everything, sum total, aggregate, whole kit and caboodle, lock, stock and barrel, the works, the whole schmear. I think that means ALL! So take all things to the Lord in prayer – small and large. Know that He is ABLE to do abundantly above all you could ask or imagine, according to the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. Are you filled with Him or have you put Him in a box or closet and only let Him be God when you have tried all your homemade remedies? He is the only One Who is ABLE !

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS (Joseph Scrive

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged – take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness – take it to the Lord in prayer.