I went back today (after I wrote Sunday’s devotion) and reread Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3. One small phrase stood out. It is “according to …” found in Ephesians 3:16.
Paul prayed, “I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit ….” [3:15-16 HCSB]
As of April 2023, Elon Musk’s net worth is estimated at $180 billion. Of course, that is a big drop from what he was estimated to be worth in November 2021 ($320 billion). Elon Musk could write me a check out of his net worth, and it could be a pittance, maybe $1.50 out of $180 billion. But if he decides to write me a check “according to” his net worth that will be a far different story.
God doesn’t just give us out of the riches of His glory – a little bit here, a pittance there. God never skimps. He is never stingy. He is not tight-fisted.
He gives us according to the riches of His glory. The strength and power we receive in the inner man flows from His glorious riches through His Spirit and it is everything, all, to the fullest extent of what we need.
And there are some prayers which God will always respond to with a resounding “Yes!”. One of them is to ask Him to strengthen our inner man with power through His Holy Spirit. That is a “Yes!” prayer.
Of course, our part is to admit that we need God’s strength and power and to ask. If we do not acknowledge the need, God will not force His riches in glory upon us.