COVENANT OF DIVINE POWER

“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” – Ephesians 3:20

In Christ, we are connected to the COVENANT of DIVINE POWER: “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” (Eph.3:20). In Him, we have the assurance of exceedingly abundant grace and unlimited Power to reign in life (Rom.5:17). Exceedingly means to a very great degree – beyond what is usual. Abundantly means full, lavish, plentiful or overflowing. Above infers to be higher in place. Jesus is able to perform to a lavish degree, all that we may ask, imagine, think or desire, according to His power – authority, anointing, and might – that works in us! There is a Power at work in the New Creation!

We have the Lord’s Promise of Power: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with POWER from on HIGH” (Lk.24:49). This, He reaffirmed: “But you shall receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This Power which is for going, flowing, giving and releasing, was poured upon the Church in the Upper Room on Pentecost Day, and has never departed! Paul wrote of: “the exceeding greatness of His POWER toward us who believe, according to the working of His MIGHTY POWER” (Eph.1:19). 2 Peter 1:3 says: “as His DIVINE POWER has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”

In the Old Testament, David had a foretaste of this Covenant of overflowing Grace and Power: “You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (v.5b). David knew a lot about herding sheep and understood the place of the anointing oil. As a caring shepherd, he would have applied olive or grain oil to a sheep’s nose and ears. Sheep were often troubled by insects that buzzed about their heads and tried to lay eggs on the moist membranes of the nose and ears. The sheep became distracted and obsessed with keeping those bugs away. Shepherds applied oil as a soothing remedy to keep the pests away, and give immediate relief as the frenzy, irritability, and restlessness disappear. This is a beautiful picture of the anointing. Such calming influence of oil on a sheep’s head is meant for us as well, to drive away the irritants and annoyances of life.

Based on Christ’s work of Redemption, I am a possessor, carrier, and partaker of Power. I can proclaim: because the Lord has anointed my head with oil, I shall never lack Power for Performance in any aspect of life! My cup of blessing runs over, for God’s Grace is limitless, His love is boundless and His mercy endures from generation to generation. The oil poured over my head is the soothing ointment of Grace and Power, saturated in His love. It is also the Oil of Gladness, the cup of which overflows with His unending blessings. It is written concerning Jesus: “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the OIL of GLADNESS more than Your companions” (Psa.45:7).

We are days of power-hungry people, but we who believe need not pursue carnal power, because our Shepherd possesses ALL Power “in heaven and on earth” (Mt.28:18). While trudging on this Pilgrim’s Pathway, though pressed on all sides, pressured, perplexed, and persecuted for righteousness sake, we will never be forgotten or abandoned by our heavenly Lord (Mt.28:20). He has prepared a brimming banquet table before us in the presence of those that hate and despise us: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the POWER may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2Cor.4:7-9).