No matter what your situation is, God Almighty is able and willing. God Almighty in Hebrew, “I am El Shaddai,” meaning the All-Sufficient One. He is always sufficient to meet our needs. It also means God who is omnipotent or all-powerful. So, stop relying on your strength and start depending on His power.
Highlights
- Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
- God always fulfills His promise, sometimes, not in accordance with our time frame.
- Helping God for the things that only He can do often results in problems.
Since last year, we could say that everyone experienced crazy, complex, complicated, and even challenging days. But did you know that there is a truth that always surfaces in times of difficult moments? The fact that no one can deny during extreme situations. And this will be our main point for this blog.
Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
Man’s limit is always God’s opportunity. Life itself may give us a challenge or a difficult test, trials that will test our limitations. But did you know that it is the perfect opportunity for God to showcase His character? That is God’s opportunity to shine in our lives. Our God is always able and sufficient to pull us out of challenging circumstances.
Of course, this is the truth that is easy to proclaim when you are inside the church meetings. But something quite challenging to apply when we are in the middle of a difficult situation?
When you lost your job, can you still say that God is sufficient and He is able? Can you still hold on to the truth that God is able and more than enough when you experience sickness, or somebody close to you experiences illness? Or if you are failing in your grades? Or are you struggling in the area of finances?
Can you hold to the truth that God is sufficient when every year you put the relationship in your faith goal, but up to now you, still no relationship?
If you can relate to these questions, don’t feel condemned. This blog intends to remind us about the nature of God. Even in the Old Testament, God has to remind a prominent person about this truth. In the book of Genesis Chapter 17.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty” Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and spoke. “I am God Almighty.” In Hebrew, “I am El Shaddai,” meaning the All-Sufficient One. He is the God who is more than enough. El Shaddai, meaning the God who is omnipotent or all-powerful. He has the power that reigns over all creation. He is the source for all good things, and He is the only one that can answer all prayers. God is the God of the impossible.
But why did God remind Abram about who He is? Or to most of us, why is it necessary for us to get this kind of reminder. Let us rewind a little bit. When Abram was around 75 years old, the Lord appeared to him and gave him a promise.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:2
How many of us would remember the excitement that we have when we first heard about the promise of God for us? Promises like “I have a plan for you, plan to give her to you for your future” or something like that. Pure excitement, right? We are on-fire for God. Abram has a similar response to God. When God instructed him to go to another land, he goes.
However, when time passes by, and he cannot see the promise’s fulfillment, he started to doubt and worry.
Sometimes, we have a similar response. When the fulfillment of the promise of God does not fall in our time frame, we tend to doubt. We tend to question whether He is still able and sufficient. Is He still the omnipotent God that we knew before? Is He El Shaddai? And this is somehow what happened to Abram. Pass forward, just after three chapters from his first encounter with God. He started to question Him.
But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” Genesis 15:2
Chapter 12, you told me that you would make me a great nation. We are now in chapter 15, and God, I am still childless. Can you make me into a great nation? Can you fulfill your promise to me? You told me that I will always be a lender and not a borrower. You told me, God, that my storehouse will overflow with your blessings. Can you do it?
We start to become impatient, and we begin to give some recommendations to God. We begin to provide him with suggestions and options. Let me give you some strategy, God. Let me tell you what we should do. It sounds ridiculous, right. But this is what we do whenever we get impatient with God. Listen to Abram.
And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Genesis 15:3
Here is my solution, God, so that you can fulfill your promise. Since you have given me no children, a servant in my household will be my heir.
In our time, it will sound like this. I know God that you said you would bless me, but I don’t have a proper job or a decent salary up to now. Here is my suggestion, let a visa or Mastercard help us. How about the draft facility, God? And we tend to tell God how He can fulfill His promise in our life. But God said.
Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” Genesis 15:4
This is not my solution. You have to trust me. Whatever you are worried about right now, God is now telling you what He told Abram in Genesis 15:1.
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1
Do not be afraid.
For some of us, I think this is the exact message that we need to hear today. The El Shaddai said, do not be scared. No matter what situation we are in right now. No matter how complicated or how difficult the circumstance that we are in right now. God is telling us – Do not be afraid. Just like Abram, you might be losing your trust right now, but the God Almighty said – Do not be scared. He is our shield, our very great reward. How many of us would say that if El Shaddai told us not to be afraid, then there is no reason to be frightened. Right?
Again, sometimes it is easy to declare it in the church setting, but it is pretty challenging when you are in a difficult situation. Even Abram has his share of the story. Just after 1 chapter, he shifted from giving God advice to helping God. Of course, the idea comes from his wife, but he agreed with it.
so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. Genesis 16:2
So, she, Sarai, Abram’s wife, said. You received a promise from God that you will become a great nation. Four chapters already passed, and still, we don’t have children. Let us help God so He can fulfill His promise in our life. And Abram agreed.
Have you ever tried to help God in fulfilling His promise in your life? In the aspect of your relationship? You know that this is not God’s will to pursue that relationship, but somehow, you think God is not doing anything on that aspect of your life, so you decided to help Him. How about in the aspect of your study or your career? Do you help God so that it may grow? In your business, do you help God to make it thrive?
And again, I am not saying this to condemn anyone. Our message is a reminder. In the same way that Abram was reminded about who God is. After giving God advice and even helping Him. All have resulted in problems. So, God came to him and reminded him about who He is.
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the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty” Genesis 17:1
Our God is the God Almighty. The creator of heaven and earth. The omnipotent God. The all-sufficient one. That is who He is. He is the El Shaddai in the past, He is the El Shaddai today, and He will be the El Shaddai in the future. And His name carries a promise. It brings a covenant.
I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Genesis 17:2
I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. Genesis 17:6
I will make you exceedingly fruitful. Wherever you put your hands, it will prosper. You will become a blessing in your company. Your family will experience growth and favor because of the covenant of El Shaddai in your life. You will be blessed when you go to your school, and you will be blessed when you go out. I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. You will train the community leaders, and God will use your life and your current status to impact those around you.
The one who gave a covenant is both able and willing. He is the God Almighty. The El Shaddai. And we can trust Him even if it is not happening according to our time frame. He will fulfill His promise on His perfect timing.
With all those promises, what does God expects from us? How can we apply this message? In the same verse, God gave instruction.
the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. Genesis 17:1
Be blameless. To which most of us would say. Now, this is impossible. Well, yes, it is. God himself said that our good works are like a filthy rag in His eyes. Then how can we blameless? With our effort, we can’t. But with God Almighty, it is possible. He came down, live the life that we should have live, and guarantee that we will become blameless. He died the death that we should have died. On the third day, He rose again to confirm that death is defeated.
How can we be blameless? We trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and we walk before Him. We follow Him and obey Him. No matter what situation we may encounter in life, we should walk before Him. We will do this not to gain His favor but just the appropriate response to the promise of God for our life.
Conclusion
Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. No matter what your situation is, God Almighty is able and willing. And He is always sufficient to meet our needs. Even if you are in the middle of a burning furnace or a lion’s den, He can rescue you. He can part the sea so you can go to safety and He can use a small stone so you can defeat a giant problem in your life. He can breathe life into your dead situation, and it will come to life.
Our God Almighty can use your seemingly small resources to bring blessings to a lot of people. Even though your iniquity is like red as crimson, He can make you white as snow. You can approach the throne of grace with confidence and express your heart, and He will listen. He created heaven and earth with His words and at the same time gives you the confidence that He loves you so much. He loves you with incomprehensible, reckless, and pure love. So, stop relying on your strength and start depending on His power.
CREDITS/NOTES/RECOMMENDATION:
- All verses are based on the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise stated.
- El Shaddai
- Be Blameless
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