Continuing my 2020 Lenten Journey- with personal thoughts and commentary by Martha McDuff Wiggins on the book “Lord I Want To Know You” by Kay Arthur.
El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One
Day 12
This is the other name I mentioned at the beginning as being one of my favorites. Why? The first name, El Roi, The God Who Sees, was a favorite because my parenting heart could always lean on Him. He was my ‘second pair’ of parent eyes. In Him my parent heart could find rest and refuge. This second name, El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, is a favorite for me on a personal level. He knows the real me; He ‘gets’ me. He responds to all of my needs and enwraps me in His Loving Arms. He is always there for me, even when I don’t know or feel it.
We learned previously that the prefix El, carries the meaning mighty, powerful, and is used to reference gods. The study book, referencing Genesis 31:29, states that El is one of the oldest and most widely used terms for Deity (God/Divinity) known to the human race. Whenever you see God Almighty in the Old Testament it is El Shaddai!
The word Shaddai can also be described as mighty and powerful. But, rather than a power of force and violence, it is thought to mean more of a power of provision, all-bountifulness, or as here, all-sufficient.
We see El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, in the Old Testament clearly at work in Abraham’s life. A childless couple, Abram (99 yrs old) and Sarah (89 yrs old) had given up hope. God seeks him out and changes his name to Abraham, promising (establishing a covenant with) to make him the father of a multitude of nations, from whom Kings shall arise! Abraham, in the waning days of his life, accepts His promise/covenant with great faith in the God he has served an known all his life, both in good times and in bad, his Elohim. It is here, however, he recognizes Him as El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One (God Almighty), falling on his face in complete humility before Him. Oh how his Lord provided going forward! And though not immediately, Abraham continued on if faith and trust, and was eventually given a son, Isaac. Through Abraham’s willingness to trust in all things, even to the point of sacrificing his own son, we can draw a straight lineage line to God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And we are his descendants, his heirs.
Through Abraham we too are children of God, El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One! He is the ‘Pourer-forth’ of blessings, who says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” (NASB John 7:37)
The same God who spoke to Abraham thousands of years ago is the same God who speaks in your heart today. Just as Abraham did, we must renounce our own will. As scary as that may be, we do have a beautiful name which we can call upon to help us! And when we do call upon our very personal El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, we unleash His almighty, yet loving, power in our own lives. We receive His All-bountiful care; He meets all our needs.
We also see El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One’s, presence in the New Testament when we read Paul’s comments in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Imagine! When you are weak your El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, is made strong! In our weakness, we see once again that His power, all sufficient to meet our every need, will be unleashed. When you call upon His name in your weakness you give Him free reins to make everything right; you give Him free Reign in your life to work all for your good.
Mental action to facilitate your Lenten Journey:
Do you feel a lack in some part of your life? Do you lack the willpower or strength to carry on? Or, do you just need to know someone cares about you and truly wants to meet all your needs, wants you to be happy? Please pause for a moment and think what the name of El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, could actually mean in your life, your faith journey.
Please call upon His name and greet Him with a desire to trust in His loving power and bountifulness for your own personal life situation. The desire alone will pull Him right to you. Rest assured. 🙏🏻💖
Further action if so inclined:
If you haven’t read in the Bible in awhile, maybe read the full story of Abraham, Chapters 12-25. See how many times can you recognize El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One, at work in his life. Try to internalize that the same El Shaddai is waiting to do the same in your life. Write it on your heart. 🙏🏻😇
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