Hope, Riches, Power

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 1:18-21

Psalm 103 has long been one of my favorite passages. I find myself often wandering back to these familiar verses – and mainly because I am so prone to forget the depth of truth within each line. In this psalm, David is rehearsing the benefits of belonging to the Lord. I frequently remind myself of verse two, which reads, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” David then proceeds to walk through the significant benefits of “belonging,” including forgiveness, healing, redemption, and satisfaction. In Christ Jesus, the Lord has given us a waterfall of blessings and benefits. And yet we are so prone to forget. We are so prone to wander and leave the God we love.

Like Psalm 103, Ephesians 1 paints an overwhelming picture of the incredible benefits of belonging to the Lord. Paul is impassioned to tell the people of Ephesus just how great and wonderful Christ is. So great is his excitement, in fact, that he can hardly pause his breath long enough to conclude a sentence with a period. There is too much! The benefits are too many. And so, we sit beneath the waterfall of these blessings and learn that sometimes it is good to feel so overwhelmed.

In early 2019, I was grappling with the reality that both of my parents were facing serious diagnoses. Admittedly, it was overwhelming and the beginning of a long journey. However, I look back and see that even in the midst of the chaos, I felt so completely held. Around that time, I had a front yard conversation with a childhood friend who had heard about my parents. He looked at me with troubled and bewildered eyes and said, “My gosh Ann, do you have any hope at all?” That question struck me, and maybe even more so, my answer. I didn’t hesitate to respond, “Oh friend, of course I do. That is all I have!” If not for hope – and most specifically hope in Jesus – we would have nothing. We would not have an anchor for our souls that holds fast even amid storms. Everything else will fail – and only our hope in Christ will stand. There is incredible – even other-worldly – peace that flows from a hope secure in Jesus.

Ephesians 1 continues beyond hope to unpack even more benefits – the riches of His glorious inheritance and the immeasurable greatness of His power. Each of those is a mountainous benefit to behold! The world’s wealth cannot measure the value of our inheritance. As believers, we belong to Christ – we are His inheritance, and we have an inheritance through Him. How could we deserve this? We cannot. Our riches in Christ cannot be measured.

And underneath it all is the “immeasurable greatness of His power” (vs.19). This power – where is it focused? Paul reminds us in verse 19 that it is “towards us who believe.” A power that cannot be measured nor even be contained (not even the grave!) is at work in us and through us and for us. Hallelujah!

Oh Lord, we are so prone to wander. We are so prone to forget! With David we preach to our own souls, “forget not all His benefits!” Enlighten the eyes of our hearts to see the great hope, the lavish riches, and the all-consuming power that belong to us, Your children.