Sufficiency

 

"If you cannot trust God for temporals, how dare you trust him for spirituals? Can you trust him for your soul's redemption, and not rely upon him for a few lesser mercies? Is not God enough for thy need, or is his all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants?"

Charles Spurgeon, March 7, Morning and Evening

 

image from Pinterest

 

 

El Shaddai in Hebrew is translated to the name God Almighty, or the God who is all sufficient. This idea of sufficiency is something I think about a lot. It presents itself regularly because I have trust issues. It is hard for me to completely let go and surrender things fully to the Lord. Things like next steps after stint, future relationships, even my daily to-do list. Sure I believe deep down he is good, he loves me, he is in control. But my sinful, prideful heart battle against those truths and cling to the desire to maintain control over my own life.

 

The three questions written by Spurgeon above have made me reassess if I am actually believing in El Shaddai or settling for some lesser god.

 

I would honestly say I'm banking on the fact that Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead in victory over sin and death. But if I can trust in something to determine the destination of my soul for all eternity, how can I not trust the same something for the minor details of that which is transient and fleeting?

 

I claim to trust God for the redemption of my soul yet struggle to believe he truly knows the desires of my heart and has the ability to fulfill those desires. Spurgeon is pointing out a very real, very disturbing dichotomy in the human heart. It's incredible how ironic this situation is, but it is the reality of my own heart every day.

 

Do I really believe God is all sufficient? ALL sufficient. All means everything. One hundred percent. All SUFFICIENT. Sufficient means enough, adequate for the purpose at hand.

 

Do I believe he has given me yearnings and desires he can and will fully meet? Do I believe his goodness and his perfect timing at work in my life? When I read the promise in the scriptures of his good plans to prosper and not to harm me, do I believe that? The promise of full and abundant life in Christ. The promise that though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, there is no reason to fear because he is with me. Those and many more are promises made to me by El Shaddai, All Sufficient. Do I believe them?

 

Today I ask God to give me the grace to trust him for a few lesser mercies as well as the redemption of my soul. He is all sufficient after all. Let's all live in that reality today.