Heralding the Power At Work Within Us

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine...”

— EPHESIANS 3:20 (NRSV)

Most Christians probably overlook this fact-of-being far too much: we have the power of God resident in us.

Through the pervading power of grace, prevailing in and through us as we obey the call of the Spirit, via our discerning and acting out of the situations of our lives, we can manifest outcomes far greater in magnitude than those we would achieve just in our own strength.

In terms of magnitude we can see that this power at work within us takes us and our bodies into realms of possibility beyond what we can either ask or imagine. We have no idea as to the intent or extent of God.

In a life that seems so remotely despairing at times, it is a great comfort that we can tap into joys that we cannot possibly contain.

And this is the power we can come to know by the Spirit living within us, by our simply turning back to God, which is the opposite way our default nature works (by doing things in our own pitiable strength).

Heralding the power at work within us is a Christian’s privilege. We, alone, have been gifted access to this Spirit that not only lives within us, but provides us the power of grace—where life is no longer about effort alone. This power anoints us and fills us and empowers us and encourages us.

As we herald this power at work within us, we highlight within our consciousness that we have this power. This knowledge is very simple. It defeats the resonance of despair by matters of hope, just as it defeats the problem of doubting by matters of faith.

And of all things we thank God, because God has been so generous in gifting us not only access to the Spirit, but that we are temples of the Holy Spirit.

Heralding the power at work within us is not about dismissing it in modesty, by a covenant of false humility; it is about working with the Spirit in whichever way we are asked. When our methods of operation are soft to the Spirit we land with sufficient grace as to tread lightly upon life. This is the way God wants us tending to his existence in and through us.

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There is a great power at work within us, the Christian. This Holy Spirit has made himself a home within us; our bodies are temples where God resides. Our souls are made holy as we give way to God. This is a great power at work within us. Let’s herald it to the glory of God through our obedience.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.