Monday Musings

Have you ever contemplated why the person who serves you in a restaurant is called either a wait-er or wait-ress?

Maybe it is because a restaurant is a place of wait-ing.

You wait to be seated.

You wait to order your food.

You wait for your food.

You wait for your bill.

You wait for your change or to sign your credit card slip.

Life is filled with waiting.

One of the most challenging words in Scripture is “wait.”

At the age of 75, Abraham received a promise from God (Gen 12:1-10). Ten years passed before Ishmael was born.  Another 15 years passed before Isaac (the promised son) was born.  Abraham was 160 before he became a grandparent to Jacob and Esau, and when he died, he was still living in a tent.

Had God forgotten His promise?

No.

Abraham was taking the time test.

What is the purpose of the time test?

The time test forces believers to trust God in all things and at all times.  It strengthens their resolve to believe that God will fulfill His Word, but in His time and in His way.  This test also pushes believers to trust in God despite the circumstances. It also reveals impatience, pride and a lack of submission to our Father.

Although we are eager to claim God’s promises, we often forget that their fulfillment is not always instantaneous!  There is always a time of testing or waiting in between.

The problem is that God’s timing does not always sync with our timing.  When this happens, we tend to take things into our own hands, just as Abraham did.

Growing impatient with God’s timetable, Abraham decided to “help” God fulfill His promise (Genesis 16).  He and Sarah came up with a plan to use Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar, to bring about the conception of a son.  However, God had promised Abraham only one son, through Sarah.  This son would inherit the land.  Because of Abraham’s failure of the time test, Ishmael was born, resulting in a conflict that still affects the Middle East today.

When we react, rather than respond by waiting (seeking, trusting, focusing, praying), we suffer various kinds of serious consequences.  Nothing good comes from us trying to help God.  The good comes when we learn to wait on Him and allow Him to work.

How many times do I try to “fix” things?

How often have I tried to help God out and
found myself in a bigger mess?

Thankfully, God’s grace is STILL bigger than our failures.

We must grasp that “waiting” is part of the Christian journey.

David was anointed king as a boy, but many trying years passed before he wore the crown.  Joseph’s dreams took years to come to fulfillment and only after he spent time in a pit and in prison.  Anna waited patiently for years to see her Saviour.

Jesus also took the time test (Luke 4:1-12).

Satan asked Jesus to throw himself down from theTemple.

Why?

He wanted Jesus to doubt God’s ability to protect Him.  He was also trying to entice Jesus to take  matters into His own hands.  Notice that Satan did not argue that Jesus was God. Instead, he wanted to push Jesus to reveal Himself before God’s time.

If Jesus had jumped from the Temple, all the religious people would have seen it.  Seeing Him miraculously survive the fall, they would have had the proof they needed to know for sure that He
was the Messiah.  They would believe him!  In other words, Satan was saying, “Why wait?  Take things into your own hands and reveal yourself as Messiah now.”  Satan was offering Jesus the kingdom without the cross.

Jesus, however, realized that God’s timing was His timing.  He knew that taking any shortcuts to fulfill His purpose would not be God’s will.

Waiting on God always involves a passage of time.  But, it is waiting with expectation, anticipation, and a confident hope in something that WILL take place (Psalm 130:5-6).  Yet, to wait means we trust God to handle things His way and in our best interest, even if it doesn’t always FEEL that way to us (Psalm 52:8-9).  One cannot pass the time test without trust.

Tips for taking the Time Test:

1) Seek the Lord (Lam 3:25).

We need to spend time meditating on the Word, and time in prayer so we can evaluate our ability to wait.  This means we may need to look at our true motives and heart attitudes or re-evaluate our goals and priorities in life.

2) With strength and courage (Psalm 27:14, 31:24).

3) Rejoice and trust in His holy name (Psalm 33:21).

4) Move at the right moment.

There is a time to plow, a time to sow and a time to reap.  They never happen at the same time, but the bountifulness of the harvest depends on doing them at the RIGHT times.  You can’t sow before you have plowed, and you can’t reap without first sowing.  God is at work in our lives, making us productive fruit producers.  This takes time and our cooperation in doing things His way and in His time.   Sometimes, what we are tempted to do is not wrong, but the reason behind it is.  We are taking a shortcut to resolve an immediate problem at the expense of long-range goals, just so that we can find comfort or temporary relief.  Getting us to take right actions for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time is one of the devil’s biggest tricks.

5) Waiting is not necessarily resignation from all activity; it is submission to God’s superior plan.

For example, if I am in need of a job, yes I should pray and seek God, but I also must be preparing my resume, checking the classifieds and applying for jobs or speaking to an employment agency.  It is much easier to direct an already moving object than one parked in front of the TV, waiting for a sign.

Are you facing an impossible situation?

Do things seem out of control?

Is that strained relationship causing you more pain than you can bear?

Does that errant child or wayward spouse still show no sign of turning to God even though you have been praying for years?

Have you worked faithfully in ministry but have yet to see results?

Are you questioning your purpose and calling?

Then, my friend, you may be taking the time test.

For those of us taking this test, may our prayer be:

Dear God,

As I woke up this morning, I thought about time and the idea of stepping out in faith.  How long do I wait for a breakthrough, during the down times and the quiet times when I feel so alone?

Your Word says, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Again, I find strength in your Word to wait on You.

Oh, God, I trust that You, Who have begun the good work in me, are faithful to complete it.  Today does not look any different than yesterday.  My circumstances have not changed.  But slowly and surely, your Word is taking root in my heart and in it I have confident rest.  I know my change will come.  I am willing to wait on Your perfect timing and Your decision, which is right.

Thank you for giving me only as much as I can bear.  Thank you for the courage to wait and patiently trust that my Father knows what is best for me.

 Amen.

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”  Tom Bodett, the voice for Motel 6 ads

James, having the same idea in mind, penned, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:1-4 NKJV).

The “testing” James was talking about is comparable to the testing of a metal to determine its purity (Zech 13:9). James went on to tell us the reason for our tests. Successfully facing the faith tests in our lives produces patience. Yet, James did not mean patience as we think of the word. The Greek word he used, “hypomone,” means to resolutely remain under a heavy load without trying to escape. It is an active endurance; not the quality that enables you to wait in a long line, but the quality that helps you finish a marathon.

Speaking to believers, James did not say if, but when, we fall into trials or face tests.

“I’ve just left 150,000 people who have no problems at all,” said a man.
“That’s great. Take me to them,” replied his friend.
“They’re in the cemetery.”

God, however, is not a cruel schoolmaster whose only goal is to make us miserable! God is a loving Father whose heart’s desire is to see His children strong, fruit bearing, and flowing with spiritual power. He wants us to grow from babes to being “perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

What are the purposes of God’s tests?

• To reveal the relevant lesson.
•  To reveal what we may already understand. For the most part, we are fully aware of where our own struggle lies. For some, it may be with our tongue or with wrong thoughts, while our ability to trust God in difficulties may be strong. Taking these tests helps us to focus on the weak areas and reinforces our strengths.
•  To reveal what I do not understand (Matt 12:35 – The tests are not necessary for God to know what is in our hearts, but rather for US to know. Circumstances reveal hidden weaknesses.

Something hindering our movement exposes impatience.
Being forced to do something menial or serving others exposes pride.
Doing something that we do not want to do exposes stubbornness.
Being required to sacrifice something that is important to us exposes idolatry.
Being faced with not getting our own way exposes immaturity.
Being required to step aside from our own plans reveals wilfulness.

“Tests of faith are various trials and hardships that invite you to surrender something of greater value to God, even when you have the right not to.” Bruce Wilkerson, Secrets of the Vine

Testing reveals the truth regarding our faith. It reveals whether our faith is real or fake. It sure is easy to say we believe in God while the sun is shining and all our prayers have answers, but what happens when the rain comes and the darkness falls?

 If we refuse to take a test, deeming it “too difficult,” we will never reach the next level in our spiritual growth. Each new test will push us past what we proved on a previous test, and it will be designed to strengthen our commitment to obey. (II Cor 2:9).

Things to remember when facing a test:

• Though a test may stretch us, it never separates us from God (Romans 8:38-39).
•  Though a test may cause us to feel weary and tired, we should never feel judged or condemned (Romans 8:1).
•  Not every trial you face is necessarily a test from God. Sometimes, our wrong choices and bad judgement get us into difficult places. Sometimes, the wrong choices of others may affect us and put us into “stretching” states. A trial may not have originated with God, but He has allowed it to affect you for a reason – to test you and to help you become more like Christ.
•  Testing is not the same as facing temptation. Temptation NEVER comes from God. (James 1:13). Testing and trails come from outside.  Temptations come from within.
•  Every test is different. Some are short and to the point. Some are long and drawn out. No matter their duration or degree of difficulty, ALL tests will end (ICor 10:13).
•  Tests come from God and are designed for the individual. Your test will not be the same as your neighbour’s. It may have similar circumstances, but your test is designed for you…to help you develop and grow where you need to. Every test is major to the person who is in the midst of it. We must be careful to keep our eyes up and on the One who is giving us the test, instead of allowing our eyes to be focused on the tests of others.
•  Every test teaches a lesson. If I do not understand what God is trying to teach me, then James tells me to ask!
•  The test itself is not as important as your response to the test (James1:2-3)! This does not mean that we have to rejoice over the illness we are battling, but that we can find joy in the battle. It means we choose to base our happiness on Jesus; not on the circumstances we find ourselves facing.

Join with me over the next few weeks as we look at several tests each believer will face.

How do we prepare for these tests?

By sitting at the feet of our Master Teacher, Who has taken and passed each one – Jesus! He modelled for us the way to successfully take each test, achieving a passing grade…the first time!

“You are not the boss of me!”  I heard my four year old son yell at his older sister.

From the moment he was born, the twenty-one months difference in their ages was more than enough to convince my daughter that SHE was the boss.  That was, until my son discovered that he had the same iron will as her, and he began to exert it!  Now, both in their teens, and both equally able to express their opinions, I still hear many times, “You are not the boss of me!”

Every time I hear that phrase, I am reminded to search my own heart and see if I have said those very same words to my Adonai.

Adonai is one of the names God used to reveal Himself.  It means Master, Owner, and Lord.

Adonai is the name spoken by pious Jews in place of Yahweh.  Adonai is Jehovah.  He is Creator and we are the created.  Therefore, “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that HE is LORD!”

Adonai is sovereign and has complete authority.  The name commands complete possession by the Master and full surrender by the servant.

In other words, when I call God “Adonai,” I am saying that He is my Master; He is my Lord.  I am saying I have placed myself on the alter, and all that I have, all that I am, and all that I do and say, is under full surrender to Sovereign God. (Roms 12:1-2)

Abram had submitted to Adonai as Master.  At the age of 75, he followed God, leaving all that he knew with only the directions, “Go!”  He submitted to Adonai’s care and protection even when he had no clear understanding of God’s plan.  Yet, when it came to Abram’s deepest desire -a son, he did not allow God to be Adonai. (Gen 15:1-2)

How many of us do the very same thing Abram did?

We call Him Lord with our lips, but deny Him with our lives.

Oh, we will raise our hands in church and sing, “Lord Reign in Me,” then, on Monday, when He wakes us up early and nudges us to spend time with Him, we refuse.

Maybe He tells you that the clothes you are wearing today draw more attention to your body parts than His Spirit within you, but you shake it off thinking, “Well, everyone else dresses like this,” and off you go.

Maybe He has asked you to restore a broken relationship, but you have refused to submit to His will.

Maybe He has asked you to spend more time with your family and less time at work, but since you offer only lip service when you call him Lord, you refuse.

The truth?

We all want Him as our Saviour.  Few of us want Him as our Lord.

Salvation gives Jesus our hearts.  Surrender gives Him our lives.  (Romans 12:1-2; (Romans 14:8)

Forgetting that we were bought with a price, and are therefore no longer our own (I Cor 6:19-20), we often yell at God, “You are not the boss of me!”

Believe me, we are all “bossed” by something, and whatever “bosses” you other than God, is an idol.

For some, it is money, their home, the hottest fashions, or  family.  For others, it may be food, sex, or drugs.  Cell phones, the latest high-tech gadgets, big screen TVs, and cars are what some value.  For others, it can be ministry or approval.

No matter the idol, normally, the more of it we get, the bigger our own sense of value gets!

The above “things” are not wicked, but when we allow them to control us instead of allowing God to control us, we are practicing idolatry. (Col 3:5)

Facts about Idols

1) You do not control your idol.  It controls you!

2)  Idols can hide so that you are not even aware they are there…until you go looking for them.

 “If you want to find out if you have rats in your basement, you do not go thumping down the stairs announcing your arrival.  If you do, they will hide before you get there and then you will think there are no rats in your basement.  However, if you creep down the stairs and suddenly flick on the light, you will see the rats scurrying away! The suddenness of your approach doesn’t create the rats.  They were already there, but now you know where  they are hiding.” paraphrase C.S Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book IV: Chapter 7.

Identifying Idols

What consumes your thoughts?

What consumes your cheque book?

What consumes your time?

What consumes your emotions?*

Recognizing and tearing down idols is not an easy thing, but it is necessary if we are going to live the powerful, abundant life God intends.  Idolatry is a serious thing to God.  (Exodus 20:3-5; Jonah 2:8, I John 5:21, Gal 5:19-21)  He does not take it lightly, so neither should we. Therefore, checking for idols in our lives should be something we do on a regular basis.

Let’s start today by searching our hearts and honestly asking, “Who is the boss of my life, my finances, my words, and my actions?”  “In what areas of my life have I refused to allow Him to be Adonai?” “What idols have I allowed to topple God’s place in my heart and life?”  Do my control issues get in the way of His Lordship?

Today, let’s stop yelling at Adonai, “YOU are not the boss of me!” and start crying, “Lord, show me where YOU are not the boss of me.”

*Strong attachments to things or people, so much so, that if you lost them, you would be absolutely devastated and feel that your life no longer has purpose.  Also, strong emotional outbursts (anger, resentment etc.) towards people or circumstances if they threaten your idol.

Have you ever had one of those weeks?  You know, a week where you wish you could change your name and hair color, and move to a whole new place where no one knows you?  Maybe sign up for a tour on the Minnow, and get stranded on a deserted island with the Skipper, Gilligan and crew?  There, where the weightiest thing on your mind would be trying to figure out why the Howes brought all they owned for a three hour outing, or why the Professor, who can make a phone out of two coconuts and some rope, can’t fix a hole in a boat!

Gilligan’s Island is fiction.  Life and its circumstances are not.

Sometimes, we can be stretched so thin by life’s trials that we feel invisible…even to God.

Have you been there?

Just recently, finding myself in that very place, God led me to read a passage from Ann Spangler’s book, ‘Praying the Names of God.’

Here is what I read. May it be a soothing balm to your soul, as it was to mine.

The God Who Sees Me

“The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”

The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to
count.”

The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.”

Gen 16: 7-15

An Egyptian slave, Hagar encountered God in the desert and addressed him as El Roi “the God who sees me.” Notably, this is the only occurrence of El Roi in the Bible.

Hagar’s God is the One who numbers the hairs on our heads and who knows our circumstances, past, present, and future.  When you pray to El Roi, you are praying to the one who knows everything about you.

“From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all humankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”

Psalm 33:13-15

Even the most watchful parent must sleep. But scripture makes it clear God never slumbers, never looks one way while we head off in another, never misses a millisecond of what is happening on earth.

 El Roi, a God so watchful that He is said to note even when the smallest sparrow falls to the ground. This is the God who watches over you today, whether or not you recognize his presence.
Aware that you may sometimes find yourself in desolate places, he is always near, helping you find a path through troubles, working out his plans for your future.”  Ann Spangler, Praying the Names of God

What must have been going through Abraham’s mind as he made that journey to Moriah?

“How will I ever be able to look Sarah in the eye and tell her what I did?”  “What will the neighbours think?”  “God, you promised me that I would be father to a great nation through Isaac.  How is that going to happen if he is dead?”  “I don’t get this, God.  I don’t understand any of it!”

The battle raged within Abraham as it would within any of us.  Yet, the voice of Abraham’s faith won over all the others.  Despite the consequence, Abraham was willing to sacrifice all on God’s altar.

He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Gen 22:5

Did you catch that last sentence?  Go back and read it again.

Did you notice that Abraham didn’t say, “We will worship and then I will come back to you?”  He said, “…WE will come back to you.”  Isaac was included in that “we!”

Abraham had battled through a crisis in his faith, concluding that God would somehow keep His promise.  There is no mention of resurrection in the 21 chapters leading up to this moment, but somehow; Abraham concluded that God would bring Isaac back to life, even though he had never seen it before.

Isn’t it interesting, that when we lay our all on the altar and truly seek God, we get to know Him in a way others miss? (Jeremiah 33:3, I Cor 2:9)

Abraham, carrying the knife and the fire up the hill, walked beside Isaac, who carried the wood on his back. Once on top of Mount  Moriah, Abraham built the altar, bound his son, and placed him on the wood.

Doesn’t it bring to mind a picture of another one and only Son?

God was about to do something He had never done before.  He was going to lead Abraham (his friend) through an experience that He Himself would walk through.  For on the same mountain (Mt Moriah), on which Abraham built the altar to sacrifice his son, God Himself would build a
cross and sacrifice His Son 2000 years later.  God, however, in His mercy, did not permit Abraham to go through it to the extent that He would.

Abraham lifted the knife … God called to him to stop.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” He said.  “Do not do anything to him…”  “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns…”  Gen 22:12-13

How long had the ram been caught there?

Scripture does not tell us.

Did the ram cry out?

Scripture does not say.

Some poor shepherd lost his ram that day and it “just happened” to get itself caught right when and where it was needed!  This ram was not only on time and in the right spot, but it was in the right condition! There were no cuts or blemishes.  (Lev  22)

“So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide (Jehovah Jireh).”  Gen 22:14

Abraham’s greatest testing became the place where he saw God the clearest!

“To provide” means, “to see” or “to see in advance.”  Sometimes we say, “I will see to it,” when we mean, “I will take care of it,” or “I will provide for it.”  This is what God meant when He revealed this name, Jehovah Jireh, through Abraham.

God, who sees all, sees our needs long before we do and provides for them! ((Matt 6:8)  Although events in our lives may take us by surprise, they never take God by surprise.

We need to have Jehovah Jireh etched on our hearts!

You feel tired and weary with life.

Jehovah Jireh will see to it.

Your job is gone and there is more month than money.

Jehovah Jireh will see to it.

You feel you cannot fight off that sin any longer.

Jehovah Jireh will see to it.

Long before he spied the ram caught in the thicket, Abraham responded in faith.

On the journey up the hill, Isaac asked, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  Gen 22:7

Abraham responded, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  Gen 22:8

How could Abraham respond this way?

God did not give Abraham this big faith exam the first week he started walking with Him!  Faith needs to be cultivated through trials.  Abraham was now at least 115 years old, and he had seen God provide for him in many ways and in countless hopeless circumstances over his lifetime.  Thus, Abraham knew, without a doubt, that Jehovah Jireh “would see to it.”

What does the name Jehovah Jireh mean to you today?

Do you have a need that is like a knife against your throat?

Our trials may be many, they may be difficult; however, they should not destroy us!  If we have laid our Isaacs down, and are obeying Jehovah and seeking to know Him above all else, then take heart, my friend!

Jehovah Jireh will see to it!

In preparation for an up-coming conference, a few years ago, I earnestly prayed for months, “Create in me a pure heart, Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

The day prior to my departure, God  started to speak  and continued  throughout  the Conference.

The “She Speaks Conference” became “God speaks!”

Jehovah, knowing I am a visual learner, taught me through some painful but powerful object lessons that weekend.

Object lesson # 1 – My reflections in my bathroom mirror.

“You are concerned with the outward appearance but have missed some dirt on the inside. Your heart carries blemishes of offense, and as a result, you have become judgemental.”

My heart broke with the weight of the ugliness of my sin. I knew EXACTLY what God was talking about.

Object lesson # 2 – The lock-down of the tiny Charlotte NC airport for 1 1/2 hours upon my flight’s arrival, due to the finding of a concealed weapon in the luggage of a passanger going through security.

“Take care of the “threats” hiding in your life. The enemy has a foothold in some areas. He will use them to destroy you, and in the process, hurt others as well.”

Object lesson # 3 – Waking up in the wee hours of Friday morning, the first day of the conference, violently ill for several hours.

“A clean heart happens only after I (God) spew out all the ugliness and sickness you allowed in! It is not pretty. It is painful. It is necessary!”

Object lesson # 4 – Saturday morning, I wake up with a sore eye which worsened throughout the morning.

“Your “self” focus has to go. Your eyes cannot be on who you are but on who I AM.”

When my eye did not improve over the lunch break, a pity party broke out.

I had come to this conference expecting… good things, blessings. Instead, it was one battle after another! Then, the accuser (Rev 12:10) started picking at me like a crow picks at garbage.

“How can God ever use you?”

  “God cannot love you!”

“Look at the mess you are in.”

“THAT sin is unforgiveable!”

Quickly the confidence in my calling, and the God who called me, evaporated.

Interrupting my pity party, a voice whispered in my heart, “Go to the prayer room.”

Several times throughout the conference, we were encouraged to visit the prayer room. There, we would find special cards arranged on tables; each card bearing one of the various titles of God. The conference team had prayerfully placed each attendee’s name (500 in all) around the cards, according to where the Holy Spirit had directed. Knowing that God reveals Himself through His titles, we were to go find our name, to see what personal message God had for us.

With trepidation, I made my way down.

The blanket of God’s presence wrapped around me the moment I entered the room. Printed on the cards were the names “Elohim,” “El Elyon,” “El Shaddai,” “Jehovah,” “Jehovah Jireh,” “El Roi,” and so on. However, nearing the last table and not finding my name, disappointment replaced anticipation.

“Look again,” I heard in my heart.

Halfway through my second, much slower search, my one good eye found my name. Holding my breath, I looked over to the title of God where my name lay.

I blinked.

I read the name again, letting its soothing balm heal my heart.

What was the title of God upon which women who had never met me, – the one attendee with the unclean heart – had prayerfully placed my name?

Jehovah Tsidkenu– “The Lord our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6)

The word righteousness means, “declared innocent!”

Of all the names God uses to reveal himself to us, none is more sweet, comforting and full of hope than Jehovah Tsidkenu.

Like the nation of Israel, I had allowed an evil king (self) to sit on the throne of my heart. Yet, God gave Israel a promise through the prophet Jeremiah, revealing to them a new name. That promise, given so long ago, was for me as well. It was the name of a promised righteous King.

The pursuit of sinful man’s righteousness began 2000 years ago with a cry from a manger, and it concluded victoriously with the cry from the cross, “IT IS FINISHED!” Jehovah Tsidkenu covers us with HIS righteousness.

Is there any sin too dark that Jehovah Tsidkenu (my righteousness) cannot cover?

NO!

My righteousness is not based on feelings. It is a fact!

Difficulties arise when after salvation; we still try to earn our righteousness. We try to keep the law, forgetting that Jesus supplied the demands of the law for us! Many strive, inanely, in their pursuit for perfection, thinking it will keep them in God’s good graces. Jehovah  does not ask for us to pursue perfection, but to pursue a perfect God.

We also forget (or are unaware) that upon salvation, three enemies arise to defeat us – the world, Satan and our flesh. Some of us can withstand the lure of the world. Others have no problem in recognizing the enemy as a defeated foe. Everyone, however, struggles with his or her sin nature. Many of us practise crucifying the flesh, but to our dismay, it soon resurrects itself!

It is only through Jehovah Tsidkenu alone that I can win the battle over my flesh each day.

I need to continue to pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.” Psalm 51:10

I need to submit and repent when He shows me my uncleanness.

Believing that the grace that saves me is the same grace that sustains me, I must move to the next step. I need to walk on confidently, wearing my robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10),  which Christ paid for with his lifeblood, instead of wearing the shabby robe of condemnation belonging to the enemy!

“In the teeth of all thy sins, believe that He is thy righteousness still. Thy good works do not improve His righteousness. Thy bad deeds do not sully it. This is a robe which thy best deeds cannot mend and thy worst deeds cannot mar. Thou standest in Him, not in thyself.”

  C.H. Spurgeon

Which robe are YOU choosing to wear today?

“God, please bless Mommy and Daddy,” a pyjama clad little boy prayed, kneeling beside his bed.  “…and dear God, take care of Yourself.  If anything happens to You, we’re sunk!”

God had promised to bless Abram and make him a great nation.  However, this meant that at the age of seventy-six, he had to pack up and leave his home with no clear direction as to “where.”  God’s only instructions were, “Leave and I will show you the way.”  For eleven years, Abram did just that, but there was no sign of God keeping up His end of the deal.  Abram and Sarai were still childless, and one could not be “a great nation” without first having a son.

Abram started thinking that maybe God needed some help in fulfilling His promise. Therefore, when Sarai came up with a way that “they” could achieve God’s promised child, Abram rationalized it as being a good plan.  Abram wanted things in his own time. He was not willing to wait any longer.  Thus, like many of us, he took matters into his own hands, married Hagai, and fathered a child thinking that all would go well.

Abram played with Ishmael, spent time with him and loved him as any father would.  Yet, something was different.  Abram was not walking in the will of God.  Therefore, God was silent. How bitter were those years for Abram?

Had he concluded, like the little boy, that without God he was sunk?  Had he realized that taking things into his own hands had not only hurt him but also those in his family?  I am sure Abram soon recognized the folly in not waiting and trusting in God.  Yet, how many times during those years had Abram felt he had disappointed God?  How many times did he wonder if he had wandered too far from God?

After thirteen years of agonizing silence, when Abram was ninety-nine, the Lord finally appeared to him.

“I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me and be blameless.  I will
confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your
numbers.”  Gen 17:1-2 (NIV)

Up to this point, Abram knew God only as El (The One True God), Elohim (The Creator), and El Elyon (The Most High God / The Sovereign God).  Now God revealed a new name to Abram.

El Shaddai – The All-Sufficient One.  The Almighty.  The Nourisher .

(“Shad”meaning “breasts” – pointing to a mother who tenderly provides nourishment for her child)

El Shaddai was reminding Abram that He was The All You Need God.  He was The Almighty who knew exactly what He was doing – at all times!  In essence, God was saying, “Abram, for eleven years you experienced me as El Shaddai without knowing it.  Then, you decided to trust in yourself.  For thirteen years you have been trying to do things your own way.  You have discovered, painfully, that YOUR way does not work.  Now learn a new thing about me.  I am El Shaddai.  I will do what I have promised and I will do it at exactly the right time!”

Abram needed to get this!  We need to get this!  We need to understand that God wants to bless and nourish His children, and because He is Almighty…He will do just that!  God’s provisions may not look the way we want.  His promises may not be fulfilled when we want, but He is El Shaddai!  He will do what He says!

It is to Him we must run when we are depleted in our relationships, finances, ministries, and workplaces.  He will never turn us away.  He will be more than enough!

He is EL SHADDAI!  He is not only our Nourisher, El Shaddai is our protector!

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High (El Elyon) will rest in the shadow
of the Almighty (El Shaddai).”  Psalm 91:1 NIV

El Shaddai keeps His promises!  Abram lost sight of that in his wait.  As a result, Abram’s great solution turned into his biggest nightmare! Have you not also experienced the same thing?

The quandary is we have refused to see God as El Shaddai and allow Him to be the Almighty in our lives!

The result?

We have kicked Him out of our schools, government, homes, and even our churches.

El Shaddai is All-Sufficient! He sustains us freely!  He is all we need.  Job recognized this (Job13:15).  Habakkuk clung to this (Hab 3:17-19)!  Paul rejoiced in this (2Cor 12:9-10)!  Abram learned this and as a result, fell on his face in worship before El Shaddai (Gen17:3), submitting to His Lordship.  El Shaddai then poured Himself into Abram.  He changed Abram’s name to Abraham and made him fruitful at an age when fruitfulness was considered impossible!

When I submit to El Shaddai as Abram did, He will also pour into me all that I need to be light in
this dark world.  In fact, the more I submit, the more He will pour, until the over-flow pours down onto those around me!

Does your heart echo the little boy’s prayer?

If so, then you have experienced God as your El Shaddai.  If not, then may I suggest you get to know Him as your El Shaddai?

He wants you to.  Will you let Him?

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXB1a3NBCw