Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Ephesians 3:20 (KJV)
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
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.
Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.
Ephesians 3:20 (NASB)Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20 (AMP)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].
Ephesians 3:20 (AMPC)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
New Covenant Meaning
Huperekperissou: The Language of Stacked Superlatives
The Greek word huperekperissou, translated "exceedingly abundantly" or "immeasurably more," is one of the most intensive compound words in the New Testament. It combines huper (above, beyond), ek (out of, from), and perissos (abundance, more than enough). Three layers of excess stacked on each other. Paul was not satisfied with just "more than" or even "far more than." He reaches for a word that exhausts language in an attempt to convey the magnitude of God's capacity. The word is doing what language cannot fully do: pointing past the limits of what can be expressed to the infinite ability of God.
"According to the Power That Works in Us": The Mechanism Is Internal
Paul does not say God acts according to His power in general, which would already be an overwhelming statement. He says "according to the power that works in us." The power is already present and already working. It is the power of the indwelling Spirit, the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11, Ephesians 1:19-20). God's exceedingly abundant capacity is not exercised from a distance. It operates from within the believer through the Spirit. The standard for what He can do is the power already at work inside the people He is working through.
Ephesians 3:20-21 is a doxology: "to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." The doxology concludes the prayer of Ephesians 3:14-19, in which Paul prays that the Ephesians would be strengthened with power in the inner person, that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith, that they would be rooted and grounded in love, and that they would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and be filled to all the fullness of God. Verse 20 then declares: the God who can do all of this, and more than any of it that we can conceive, that is the God to whom glory is ascribed. The doxology arises from the excess of divine capacity.
Application for Your Life
Your Asking and Thinking Are Not the Ceiling
The most common practical application of Ephesians 3:20 is the encouragement to pray big. And that is legitimate. But the verse is making a structural point, not just an encouraging one. God's ability is not bounded by the scope of your asking or imagining. When you pray, you are not presenting God with the full range of possibilities for your situation. You are bringing requests that He receives and answers in ways that exceed what you asked. This means the answer to your prayer can be better than your prayer. God is not limited to what you can envision when you pray.
The Power Is Already Working
Ephesians 3:20 says the power "works in us," present tense and active. It is not waiting to be activated by sufficient faith or by the right circumstances. It is already at work within every believer. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead already indwells you and is already working according to purposes larger than what you are currently aware of. This is a call to faith in the present: not waiting for God to start working but recognizing that He is already at work and that the scope of what He is doing exceeds what you can see.
Prayer Based on This Verse
Father, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations. You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that already works in me. I do not need to shrink my prayers to what I can logically envision You doing. You transcend my logic and my vision. I bring my requests to You freely and fully, and I release them to Your ability that exceeds them. Work within me by Your Spirit. Do what I cannot ask for because I do not yet know to ask. Accomplish in my life what surpasses my greatest hopes. To You be glory. In Jesus name. Amen.