My El Shaddai~All-Sufficient One

Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." He is faithful. Has He not proven it over and over again? Despite Sarah’s frailties, little faith, and self-reliance, God accomplished His purpose-and Sarah was filled with joy. Will God not honor a willing and obedient heart? Something happens when we make ourselves available to God: He starts moving in ways none of us could have imagined. Look at Katie. She didn't arrive in Uganda with a degree in education; she wasn't a nurse; she didn't know how to cook beans; she didn't go to language school; and she says she  had no idea what was involved in running a ministry and didn't posses the business knowledge or organizational skills required to do so. She just made herself available to God.

 Will it be easy? No, but He hasn't called us to coast life making it easy.  Am I afraid of what it might cost? Yes, but He hasn't called use to be safe. In fact, he has called us to deny comfort and take up our cross. I am much more afraid of living a comfortable life in a self-absorbed, self-serving society failing to follow the Jesus of the Bible. I have yet to find where He warned us to be safe. “We are not called to be safe; we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us. And there is no better place to be than in His hands” (Katie Davis). He is faithful.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” For a long time this verse puzzled me. At first I thought it meant that if I obeyed the Lord and found my happiness in Him, He would give me what I desired to have in life.  I hope I am not the only one who saw it this way, but it just goes to show how self centered I am. The Lord finally said to me, “No, it’s not about Me fulfilling your desires, but making yours Mine”.

I think you and I have begun to make God’s will too hard. We have forgotten that He is making His will ours. I believe each and every one of us has been called to the same thing: that is to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves-to make disciples of Jesus. It will look differently for each of us. It may take place in a foreign land or in your backyard, but we were each made to love. A missionary isn't someone who just goes to the Arabs or the Indians of Papua New Guinea. No! We are all His messengers called to take His love and gospel to the nations no matter where we reside.

            He has chosen you and me the flawed human being that we are to be His hands and feet. Why He chooses to lavish His unbelievable grace on me I will never be able to comprehend; maybe just maybe it is so He can show the world and me just how big, powerful, and brilliant He is! This journey of mine has been full of joy, sorrow, lessons of humility and obedience…But it’s not over. Oh, no! It has just begun. Lord willing, I have a date set for my departure to Colombia! He has provided my ticket money mostly through a wonderful friend! Knowing this was such a relief and joy! But I still have a monthly budget that I must meet while there, but this time I am confident that He is El Roi, the God who sees, Jehovah-jireh, my provider, and El Shaddai, the all-sufficient one. If He wants me there He will provide the means even if I am wondering how I will eat the next day or how I will help pay the rent.  

Once again, I am just a messy broken grace-covered sinner clinging to the feet of my Savior…crazy overwhelmed by His love lavished on me each day.

 Don’t you think I owe Him my life, too?