I have been studying Ephesians for some time now. As I have been saturating in 1.19-23 I have been amazed that the power of God which is working/flowing in our lives (v.19) is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! This is not some minuscule power that can be tapped – it is an unlimited and incomprehensible power which cannot be contained or stood against.
In verse 19, Paul uses four different Greek words for ‘power.’ He prays that we would know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power [dunamis] toward us who believe, according to the working [energeo] of His mighty [ischus] power [kratos]. Kratos has to do with dominion, authority, sovereignty, lordship. Ischus is the ability, strength, resource, and capacity to perform. In short, God has overwhelming sovereignty and authority from which He lives and moves. EVERYTHING is far beneath His feet. Moreover, He has an ischus that cannot be touched. He has unlimited ability, strength, and resource. It is like a grand ocean that can never be measured. It is from this ocean of kratos and ischus that He is flowing/moving/working/energizing in our lives (energeo). He is always at work in our lives. He is active and always functioning, like a master tradesman. What is it that He is functioning and working in our lives? The dunamis – the demonstration of His kratos and ischus. How is God going to demonstrate His mighty power in our world? He is going to use us – literally flowing Himself in and through our lives in order that we might display the God of the universe upon the stage of our lives. He is flowing [energeo] this grand ocean [kratos, ischus] into our lives that, like a waterfall, as it hits the rocks at the bottom, creates a surging explosion [dunamis].
Lord, may I be a continual demonstration of Your Person, presence, and power in this generation.