Priscilla took the stage, her black hair forming a cascading wave of dark hair around her face. She has the most engaging eyes and mannerisms, and even though we were sitting halfway towards the back on one side, I felt that she was talking to me directly.
Priscilla had us all look at Ephesians 3:20-21, and she used the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation (just FYI- this is the version that Beth Moore teaches out of a lot):
"Now, to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think
according to the power that works within us- to Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
The first time Priscilla read this, she stood at the podium and just read it with passion. The second time, she stepped far over to the right side of the stage and did a little walk as she recited the verse.
"NOW," she said, pointing to the ground, "Now is telling us that the writer is pulling from a previous thought. Now is used to bring these two thoughts together, and now is indicative of time. It means both things simultaneously."
"NOW," she said again, pointing to the ground, and then she took a step forward to cross the stage, "to Him. To Him tells us who we are talking to. Him is God. Him is Jesus."
She turned and walked back to her starting place.
"NOW," she says for the third time, "to Him (one step) who is able (another step forward) to do. Our God is able. He is able to do things to us and for us." Again, she skipped back to her starting place with the giggles from the audience.
"NOW," points to the ground, "to Him (one step) who is able (two step) to do (stretches leg really far out for step three) above and beyond all that we ask or think." Here is where she pauses and sits for a minute. "Think about that for a minute- above and beyond. Greater and bigger. Wider and deeper. More than our 'more.' God is able to take what we ask him for and go beyond our beyond. Have you ever been in that situation where you prayed for God to do something, but what He ended up doing was so much better than anything you could have even imagined?" she asked. "Have you ever asked for something, and then realized that Our God is so much bigger and better than anything you can imagine? Have you ever paused in the middle of a prayer and said, 'Unless you have something better in mind, then ignore what I just said and go with what You have written for me.' Our God is beyond our beyond."
Again she skipped back to the starting point on stage, and she started again, but this time completed the verse. I wrote it out so that you can visualize with each line that she took a step forward.
"Now,
to him
who is able to do
above and beyond all that we ask or think
according to the power that works within us
to Him be the glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Our God is big. And He has big, beautiful, beyond things planned for us. Priscilla reminded me that He has plans bigger than I could ever dream or ask for, and I'm sure looking forward to what He has planned for us.
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