19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.(Ephesians 1:18-20 NLT).
In the midst of a beautiful written prayer for the Ephesians Church, we read a stunning truth related to Easter Sunday.
On Easter we celebrated the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead. It was the third day after He died on a cross and had been buried and sealed in a tomb. Gone, dead, defeated. But hope was not lost, because Jesus is God in the flesh, He is Lord of ALL, which includes death, hell, and the grave. And by the eternal power from which He made Light out of Darkness, and created the heavens and the earth, He restored Himself to life. It wasn’t a doctor or a crash cart that restarted Jesus heart, it was His matchless power—He is God.
So the Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesian Church, and, by extension, for you and me, and asks God to help us understand the “incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe…” And then He tells what the power is—it is the same power that raised Christ from the dead!
The circumstances of the world in April of 2020 have made for an Easter like no other. With the uncertainty about the future, many people turned to Jesus by faith for the first time. Many others renewed a commitment that had grown cold. And also, many have been in fasting and repentance this season for the hardness and selfishness of our hearts. Everyone who has been awakened to the Truth of Jesus Christ, has been made alive, changed, re-animated, by this same power! The power that raised Christ from the dead! This power is in you and upon you now in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit. Because of this, you don’t have to be afraid anymore, of anything—ever!
Meditate on this truth and humbly go forward and serve others with the confident assurance that the same power that raised Christ from the dead also raised you to new life, and resides in you, to love and serve the hurting and hopeless in our world today.