Last week we considered Jesus the Able One who is able to do above all we ask or think. Today we notice that, He is able to do abundantly above all we ask or think.
This gets better and better. Not only is He able to do above all, but He is also able to do, “Abundantly above all” (see Deuteronomy 1:10-11). In other words, take what we are praying for and multiply it by 100 then by 1000. That’s the kind of answer God is willing and able to give. The Lord is not limited by our prayers, and a good thing too for our prayers are deficient and shallow. He takes even the frailty of our prayers, touches them with His greatness and returns an answer worthy of His majesty. He is enough!
Notice next that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we as or think.
Think of the greatest abundance you can imagine by multiplication and then multiply it again. Is that what this means? No! That can be measured! His answers and provision are as vast and immeasurable as the stars of the universe. He answers us like royalty because we are the children of His magnificent grace.
He will answer and provide “exceeding abundantly.” Spurgeon says, “His power to bless us is not limited by our power to understand the blessing! Grace is not measured to us according to our capacity to receive, but according to His ability to bestow!—Has not the Lord said, “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it?” Yet our widest mouth is not the measure of what He can give us! Our boldest prayer is not the boundary of what He is able to bestow!”
Spurgeon’s sermons: Vol 21
I heard a story about the first city fathers of New York as they contemplated the future growth of their municipality. They laid out the streets and numbered them from the centre outward. When they began, there were only six or seven thoroughfares, but they felt they needed to project for potential future growth.
Being men of vision, they decided they needed to ‘think big’ so reaching beyond their wildest imagination, they drew streets on the map all the way out to 19th Street. They called it "Boundary Street." They were sure that that was as big as New York would get.
Good luck with that one men! History has proven them to be so very short-sighted. The city has reached more than 284th Street and counting!
Jesus is never limited in His ability. We should always be prepared to receive exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or even think.
The thief on the cross asked to be remembered but was given eternal life—-that was an ‘exceeding abundantly above’ answer.
Simon the Pharisee asked Jesus to dinner and got a revelation of the Character of God—another ‘exceeding abundant above’ moment!
Mary and Martha asked Jesus to pray for their sick brother but got a miracle of resurrection—-they got exceeding abundantly above all that they asked or thought.
We need to discover, like Mary and Martha, that Jesus is bigger than any request we have. He is the God who is enough! He is big enough, wise enough, great enough, strong enough, powerful enough, kind enough and caring enough for anything we will have to face today. So let’s ask the question again, is Jesus enough?
HE
HE IS ABLE
HE IS ABLE TO DO
HE IS ABLE TO DO ALL
HE IS ABLE TO DO ALL WE ASK
HE IS ABLE TO DO ALL WE ASK OR THINK
HE IS ABLE TO DO ABOVE ALL WE ASK OR THINK
HE IS ABLE TO DO ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL WE ASK OR THINK
HE IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL WE ASK OR THINK
HE IS ENOUGH
And that’s the Gospel Truth!