Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church
I remember as a child of 6 years old being in the pool at the Bill Rice Ranch. Even the shallow end was over my head. The water was deeper than I was tall, and I remember the bad feeling of getting into a spot where I couldn’t keep my head above the water. Now, I did eventually, of course, but that’s an uneasy feeling.
Later, when I was in college and a counselor at the Ranch, I was a lifeguard. There was a lot of training that was involved, and I remember in one particular part of the training and the requirements we had to fulfill feeling like I was in over my head quite literally. This time I was in the deep end and I was trying to keep “the brick” above water as I was treading water. Again, I felt I was not able. I was in over my head.
Well, those days are long past, but I still feel like I’m in over my head all the time. I come to a situation, have a problem, meet a person, and instantly I realize that I’m above my paygrade. I am in over my head. I have needs for which I have no answer.
That’s why I’m glad that Ephesians begins by saying, “Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is God’s grace, His supernatural enabling of me, that also gives me peace in life. In verse 22 it says that God “hath put all things under his [Christ’s] feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” He has “put all things under his feet.” What a wonderful thing to know that the things that are over my head are under His feet. There is nothing that is too great for God. Many things are above my abilities, but nothing is above God’s ability.
In the first place, it is the Lord Jesus that makes us accepted in the beloved. Verse 6 says, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Literally, He made us accepted in the beloved one. I am not accepted because of my great work. I’m in over my head on that. I’m accepted because of the work of Christ. That grace results in peace.
It is God who gives me salvation and gives me understanding. There are many times when there are things beyond me, but the prayer of the apostle Paul was “that God…may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling.” It goes on to say other things that are made possible by the work of Christ.
So, there are things that I don’t understand and things for which I don’t have the ability, but nothing in my life today, as great as it may be in comparison to me, is too great for God or for the grace that is provided by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.