“Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the Power that works in Us, to him be glory in the church to or generations, forever and ever, amen.” (Ephesians 3: 20–21)

I just love it when God completely blows my mind with something that reminds me of this verse, the “exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think“ aspect of who He is. I went on a birding trip last week and had an experience that gave me a memorable picture of the difference that can exist between our expectations and God‘s supply.

The bird in the picture is a great grey shrike. They are rare winter visitors to the UK: there have only been about 60 individuals in the whole country over this Winter, mainly in the south and the east. Twitchers will travel halfway across the country to see one if it is reported on a birding blog. So last year I got very excited when one decided to stay for a few weeks on the edge of the woods about 4 miles from my house. I did get to see it, perching in a distant tree, and treasured the photograph below that I got – as you can see, it was hardly one you would put in a frame and hang on the wall. (The bird is about a quarter of the way down, slightly left of centre.)

When these birds find an area that they like they tend to stay there until they leave for their breeding grounds, so when one was reported in Lincolnshire (a county in England on the east coast, if you aren’t in the UK) last week, I made sure that the site was my first stop on a trip to that area that I was planning. My expectation was framed by my previous experience, so when we reached the spot where this bird had made its temporary home, I was expecting to scan the distant trees with my binoculars to get a sight of it.

There was another birder there when my friend and I arrived. “There it is! Just there, on top of the hedge!” he said. I started scanning the distant hedge with my binoculars. “No,” he said, “THERE!” And there, no more than 20 metres away (as opposed to the 200 or so that I was expecting), set a beautiful great grey shrike, posing for my camera. But that is not all: these birds have a habit of hovering like kestrels when they are hunting for prey. This little bird did not disappoint: it repeatedly flew down from its perch and hovered a few feet from the ground, looking for insects and worms in the mud. It was one of the most precious birding moments that I have ever experienced.

So why am I writing about it? I’ll put the answer as a question. What are your expectations of an encounter with God? Is it like the first time I saw a shrike, a distant grey spot on a treetop a couple of hundred yards away or more? What is your idea of “the presence of God?” Is it the cosy feeling of gathering with other believers and a good band, singing a few worship songs together; or could it be that God has more for you, a lot more, an intensity of love and peace that causes you to fall to your knees because standing has become impossible, where the shrike is hovering in front of your face and not perching in the dim distance?

Of course it is good to gather and worship, and it is true that the spirit of God is present among us when we do, because if we are believers He is within us all. But let us not be sold short into believing that this is all we can expect, because “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the Power that works in us.”

Paul wrote this to the Philippians:

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1: 18-20)

Paul’s “Ernest expectation and Hope“ was for an abundant “supply of the spirit,” a deluge, not a trickle. What about us? Surely God, who “gives the Spirit without measure,” wants the supply of the spirit in our lives to lead us to a place of submission that is real because we know that we have met with Jesus and have experienced something of His love and power? Yes, our experience must be rooted in the truth of God‘s word, but I don’t think God has given us the supply of His Spirit for us to only experience Him through the printed page. And yes, when two or three are gathered in His name He is there in the midst of us, but that is the beginning of the journey and a statement of faith; it’s not our destination. We don’t rise on eagle’s wings just by believing that we are eagles, but we need to wait for the wind to lift us, because that is how eagles soar. It’s “those who wait on the Lord” who renew their strength. The wind might not come for hours or even days, but we strengthen our faith through exercising it in the wait. The words of Christ are words are words of life, and He wants us to feel that life “according to the Power that works within us” as well as knowing the words that release it.

God honoured Paul’s expectation with such abundance that he personally started at least 14 churches probably 20, possibly more (see www.churchplanting.com) as well as fostering the growth of many of them, including the “hub“ church at Ephesus, through his letters and direct apostolic influence. You and I may not be Paul, but we have the same spirit who dwells within us, and it’s the spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. If we want to see Him really work among us, we need to raise our expectations, lift our wings and face into the wind – remembering that “the wind blows where it wills,” and not according to our plans.