imagination

The prayer that Paul writes in the third chapter of his letter to the Ephesians is as inspirational as it is poetic: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." It's commonly cited in benedictions and prayers, and yet it never seems to tire.  

The ability to not only do more, but immeasurably more is astonishing. But to do immeasurably more than can be imagined? This is, well, hard to imagine. Because our imagination is—theoretically—limitless. 

This reminds me of an amusing exchange between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in A New Hope when the former tries to convince his reluctant partner to rescue Princess Leia who is scheduled to be terminated. Faced with the need to inspire immediate action, Luke appeals to Han's primary motivation:  

Luke: She's rich.
Han: Rich?
Luke: Rich, powerful. Listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be...
Han: What?
Luke: Well, more wealth than you can imagine!
Han: I don't know, I can imagine quite a bit!

My imagination can feel boundless about some things—tangible things like wealth, possessions, and experiences. But how often do I imagine more of Christ's power at work within me? How often do you or I pray for his glory to be made evident through the way that our lives reflect his kingdom? How often do we dream about what immeasurably more might mean in our lives and ministry? How often do we marvel at the sheer vastness of the possibilities? 

Perhaps it begins with mustering up more imagination about the things that matter most. 

Here's to more hope, more imagination, and more of Christ's power at work within us.  

Keith Reed is the Associate Director of MinistryLift at MB Seminary. 

photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash