Ephesians 3:20 “Dream Big”

Ephesians 3:20 “Dream Big”

In the first Star Wars movie Leia tells Hans that he would be rewarded with more wealth than he can imagine. Hans replies “I can imagine a lot”.

Our passage describes God as one “who can do far more abundantly than we ask and think”

This passage got me to thinking and it raised a question. Are our prayers to small? Do we dare to pray big? I mean bigger than ourselves? Will we dare to pray the impossible and keep on praying the impossible for however long it takes? One thing we need to learn and need to teach is that we need to pray big.

I have mentioned Dawson Trotman, the man who founded the Navigators and developed the follow-up ministry for Billy Graham. As a young man he and a friend started praying for their city, then the state, then our country and finally the world. They prayed that God would help them reach the world! God answered their prayers. Through Billy Graham and the Navigators Dawson Trotman reached the world. He still reaches the world, in fact he wrote the discipleship books we use for conformation class.

I wonder if God gets frustrated with the smallness of our prayers. He is able to do more than we can ask, yet with all that power we only ask for the possible not the impossible. While living in California, every once and a while I would get to see a real sports car. Jaguars, Porsches, Ferraris, and other cars like them, all capable of going 160 – 200 miles an hour. There they would be in a lane next to me crawling along the highway in stop and go traffic. All that power going to waste.

Consider some prayers of the Bible. Isaac prayed for his wife to have children, Gen 25:21. Moses prayed that pharaoh would let the people go, Exodus 10. Moses prayed and God parted the red sea, Elisha prayed and Fire came down and consumed the sacrifice. Gideon prayed and God sent most of the army home and they still won the battle.

Do we pray to small? Do we pray for things we see as possible? If we do pray for something big do we pray thinking it is a waste of time? James 1:5-8 says that we are to pray with confidence that God will answer.

We need to be people who pray kingdom size prayers. Pray for the salvation of our neighbors, our town, and our area. We need to pray for the growth of our church and be willing to follow God to the answer to that prayer.

James 4:2&3 says we do not have because we do not ask.

Notice what we will do. Kill, covet, quarrel and fight. Anything except ask and believe.

Notice the motive of prayer. Wrong motives, selfish motives hinder prayer. You can pray for good things for the wrong reason. “Lord make my neighbor a Christian so they will stop wakening me up with their drunken parties on Saturday night.” O Lord help our church to go so I will not have to donate so much to keep the church going and I will not have to give as much of my time to its work.”

Jesus wants His disciples to pray kingdom size prayers, with kingdom motives.

What questions does the college graduate in philosophy ask? “Do you want fries with that or should I supersize it?”  God wants us to go for the fries, the shake and the dessert as well. God wants us to supersize our prayers. Expand your vision and faith to kingdom sized prayers for kingdom size motives. Perhaps like Dawson Trotman God will give you the world!