To Infinity and Beyond?

This past September, our church kicked off our theme for this ministry year, “Beyond!” To introduce the theme, I used a clip from the movie “Toy Story” from which comes the line, through the mouth of Buzz Lightyear, “To infinity and beyond!”  Just about everyone loves that movie and remembers that line. It was a great way to get everyone thinking about the word, beyond.  

Our theme has been based on the Apostle Paul’s words found in Ephesians 3:20 (from the New American Standard Version) which says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly, beyond all that we ask or think, according to his power that works within us.”  It’s a powerful and power-packed verse that reminds us of the fact that we serve a God who is so much greater than we are and who has the capability of doing things much greater than we could ever imagine. I’ve encouraged our congregation to memorize it, use it in their prayer life, and think of how it fits into their personal lives. 

If you are like me, your expectations of God and thus your prayer life can become less than faith-filled. We tend to ask God for those things that we can envision taking place. We ask him for things that we deem as necessary for our physical lives, but not much more. We put God into the boxes we create in our minds. In the end, we believe God for only so much and not much more. But maybe we need to begin to pray, “God you know my life and my needs. But I’m trusting you to go beyond—to work ‘far more abundantly beyond’ what I know to pray for or what I could ever believe for. God I’m asking you to work in my life according to your plans, purposes, and abilities; I’m asking you to go beyond and take me beyond!”  

Now imagine if we prayed like that! Think of the doors that might be unlocked in your life. Think of how God might work if you trusted him to not just answer your prayers in the manner you prayed them, but trusted him to do the “far more abundantly beyond” in your life. Think of how God might bless you, help you, and most importantly, use you. Think of where the hand of God might lead you. Think of the impact you might have on the world around you for the sake of the Kingdom of God. 

So maybe today, read through that verse again (in whatever translation you like), and begin to meditate on it and pray through it. As you do, God might just begin to do in you and through you things that go far beyond anything that has ever entered into your mind. You might find that he is truly a God who delights in taking his people “To infinity and beyond!” No, let me correct that: “To eternity and beyond!” 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris