DAY 6
Pray to Know the Greatness of His Power (Part 1)

‘I pray … that you may know … his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead.’ Ephesians 1:18-20

As we saw on Day 1, the apostle Paul doesn’t pray for God to give those first Christians more power but for a revelation of the power they already have. Power and victory are key themes in Ephesians, especially given the culture of Ephesus and its surroundings. For example, in the ruins of this ancient city, there is a surviving stone carving of the Greek goddess Nike, the goddess of victory (note the use of the name by a very famous sports brand).

To believers in Ephesus, who were once dominated by such evil and victorious powers and who still faced a battle against these powers, Paul is concerned that they would know they are on the winning side and that God’s power in and through them is far greater than any power they have been freed from or will face. To emphasise God’s power, Paul uses four Greek words: dunamis (dynamite), energia (mighty working), kratos (might), and ischuos (strength). This ‘incomparably great power’ is available to Christians then and now!

This revelation is vital for Christian living. You may struggle with sin or feel lacking in power to share the gospel. Paul would say: you already have a power greater than any other. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in our lives. It’s a power unlike any other and greater than any other. The Amplified Bible translation of this Ephesians passage puts it like this: Paul prays for our eyes to be opened by the Spirit, ‘[so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]’ (Ephesians 1:19-20). Notice the piling on of these adjectives – the immeasurable, unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power both in and for us who believe. Given the greatness of God’s power that is available to us, and the fact that so often we live in ignorance of this power, it is no wonder that Paul makes this revelation central to his prayer in Ephesians chapter 1. There are few prayers more vital for us to pray: that we might grasp by revelation God’s ‘incomparably great power for us who believe.’