Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20,21).
Happy New Year! As I sit here in a coffee shop to write, it strikes me how often I become “stressed-and-a-mess” over the negatives in my days that are really insignificant beyond nothingness. This week we postponed a Christmas ( a BIG one, cancelled due to sickness) that was supposed to be at our house, We are without internet for ten days at our house. We have an extra child at our house (a pretty needy one, at that). We have a couple of majorly huge issues going on in our house, that require our minds as we navigate them. And, at our house, this week, someone called to say some very harsh things to my husband in some very harsh tones.
“Our house” was in the above paragraph five times. It’s so important for me to remember the huge blessing in that phrase. “Our” means it’s not just me against the world. There are five good (and young) sisters, locally, that come to mind as I type who don’t talk about “our house” in the same sense that I can speak of it. There’s no male spiritual leadership, no wage earning man, no strong child disciplinarian, no protector and no one in the home who loves these sisters as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5). But I live in “our house.” And the blessed implications of that are huge. Those of us who do enjoy it should never be smug about or take for granted the insulation that separates us from the harshness of the unrighteous world around us. And we should minister to those who do not have the godly leaders in the home.
And then it’s our “”house”. The place of belonging. The system of familiar life, The shelter from the rain. The warmth in a cold winter. The presence of beds with blankets and firm pillows, electricity, food in the fridge, and clothing in the closets. It’s a place where the grandchildren who are not sick can isolate from the ones down the street who are fevered. It’s a place where they know there are bikes on the porch and games in the basement. More than that, our house is a home. When I walk in that kitchen door, there’s music even if it’s completely silent, because there is praise in my heart. He lives at our house. The aroma of the potpourri in the tiny counter crockpot fills the air with the fragrance of cinnamon and fruit and reminds me of of how much he has given me. I delight in His law and I can bring forth “fruit in my season” (Psalm 1). There are little twinkling lights that will stay there much longer this year while we wait for that fun Christmas time with family that will, prayerfully, happen in about a month. They are fun and they tell me, when all of my neighbors are turning their lights off, that maybe letting mine twinkle all through January will remind me that the real light, that should shine in and from my house, should remain every day of every year.
While I thought about the immensity of the blessings in our house, I remembered that I serve the God of more. I looked up the Greek word for more abundantly in Ephesians 3 and I find that the word is hyper. That’s right, It’s the word we use today to describe a child who is way above and beyond excited. It’s the word we use to tell the doctor about a wild allergic reaction on our skin…”I am hyper-allergic/hyper-sensitive to to______________.” When a child is focused on some object or outcome and cannot be distracted, we say he is “hyper-fixated.” Our God is way outside the realm of the norm in his care for us. When I try to describe his ability to answer my pleas, I understand He is the “hyper” God. He is able to do “hyper” (abundantly more) than I can ask or imagine.
It’s a new year. I’ve decided to do some things that might be helpful for me, personally. I’m going to drink some protein every morning. I’m implementing some new prayer habits and I’m starting the Digging Deep writing process much earlier this year. But more than those resolutions, I’m going to remember that, while there is so much that I cannot control—sickness, technology, sin in the lives of others, to name a few—I serve a Father who is “hyper-able”. I can take all the little inconveniences and mishaps to Him at any given moment, and I can know that He is working with unlimited ability toward the end that He already sees with clarity! And he works in “our house.” I cannot focus on the end of the anxiety yet, because I cannot see the resolution. But I can focus on my “hyper” God and know that He is able to do more than I am asking or thinking for our house! Happy New Year! Your God is able!
Happy New Year! Perhaps the New Year is an over-used motivator that lacks long-term effectiveness. But this IS a great time to commit to deep Bible study. The Word is, by far and away, the most important knowledge you will grasp in this lifetime. Reading it through is of great value. It’s the only information we have from our Father about what it takes to be saved from eternal death. But merely reading it through will not bless you in the same ways and to the same extent that deep study will bless.
When you married the Lord on that day when you were immersed for the forgiveness of your sins, you made vows to love, honor and obey Him in sickness and health, in adversity and prosperity, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer—to have and to hold Him till death unites you with Him forever and ever.
I looked back this morning at what I wrote as 2020 dawned. Three observations:
But you know, there’s always that blessing trail (
