What You Ask, Think and Imagine Can Change the World

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21; the NIV has “imagine” instead of “think”)

This power that is at work in us is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”(Acts 1:8). This is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at the Father's right hand in the the heavenlies, far above all principality, power, might and dominion (Ephesians 1:19-21). This same power has also seated us there in Him (Ephesians 2:6).

At the end of Ephesians 3, we see that this power has something to do with what we ask, think and imagine. Now, notice that, although God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all we ask or imagine, He does it according to the power that is at work in us, the power of the Holy Spirit. This means that job is to ask, think and imagine, not according to our own ability, but according to the divine power at work in us. All our asking, thinking and imagining can never exhaust this power, because God is infinite in power. But this power is released by our asking, thinking and imagining because God has established His power to work in us. That is why it says “according to the power that works in us.”

If we do not ask, think and imagine, then this power will not be released. But we must ask, think and imagine in line with God's thoughts, God's will and God's way if we expect to release God's power and get God's results. Otherwise, our thoughts and imaginations will result in chaos. That is what happened at the Tower of Babel:

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.” (Genesis 11:4-7)

The King James Version has, “Nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do.” The Amplified Bible shows it as “Nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible.” These were ungodly people plotting proud and arrogant things. Because their language was one, when they expressed their imaginations together, it was a very powerful thing. But it did not make for divine order, so God confused their speech and scattered them abroad.

We must ask, think and imagine according to God's thoughts and God's ways.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.

(Isaiah 55:8-9)

This does not mean that we cannot know God ways and thoughts, for in verses 10-11, we see that He sends His Word to earth to accomplish His purposes. Paul put it this way, quoting from Isaiah 64:4, and adding an important New Testament revelation:

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

God reveals these things to us by His Spirit so we can ask, think and imagine according to His thoughts and ways and get divine results, because it is according to the power of His Spirit at work in us that the world gets changed for the good.

The human imagination is very powerful for changing the world. When you ask, think and imagine according to the Word of God, it brings about divine order and blessing — the kingdom of God.