Ephesians 3:20
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse begins the doxology that closes Ephesians 3 (3:20-21), capping Paul's prayer with praise. It assures readers that the immense requests just offered are well within God's power.
What Does Ephesians 3:20 Mean?
After praying enormous requests, Paul bursts into praise of the God who can do even more. He stacks up words to stretch the imagination: God is able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Each phrase reaches higher than the last. We ask for much; God can do more. We think beyond our asking; God can do more than that too. Paul piles language upon language precisely because ordinary words cannot contain the scope of God's ability. This is a deliberate antidote to small prayers and small expectations.
Crucially, Paul grounds this not in wishful thinking but in present reality: "according to the power that worketh in us." The measuring rod for what God can do is the power already at work inside believers -- the same power that made the dead alive and that strengthens the inner man. God's ability is not a remote theory; it is operating now, within His people. So the encouragement is double. First, our biggest prayers do not exhaust God's capacity; He stands ready to do beyond them. Second, the proof is already underway in the transformation He is working in us. For a reader tempted to limit God to the size of their own expectations, this verse swings the door wide open. Pray boldly. The God addressed here is able, and His power is already moving.
In the Original Language
The Greek "huperekperissou" (exceeding abundantly above) is an emphatic compound piling "beyond" upon "abundantly." "Energeo" (worketh) means to be operative and effective.
Cross References
“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”
- Jeremiah 32:17
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
- Philippians 4:13
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
- Matthew 19:26
Application
Refuse to shrink your prayers to the size of your own expectations. The God you ask is able to do far more, and His power is already at work within you.