Enthralled

" The saving love of God is doing whatever must be done, at great cost to Himself, and for the least deserving, so that He might enthrall them with what will make them supremely happy forever, namely, Himself."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                              John Piper



     When Jacob was close to drawing his last breath, he called in his twelve sons to himself so that he could bless them.  When he got to Joseph, this is what he prayed: " Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well ( spring or fountain), whose branches run over the wall.  Skilled archers have bitterly attacked and sorely worried him; they have shot at him and persecuted him.  But his bow remained strong and steady and rested in the Strength that does not fail him, for the arms of his hands were made strong and active by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, by the God of your father, who will help you and by the Almighty [El Shaddai], who will bless you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings lying in the deep beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.  The blessings of your father [on you] are greater than the blessings of my forefathers [ Abraham and Isaac on me] and are as lasting as the bounties of the eternal hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was the consecrated one and the one separated from his brethren and [the one who] is prince among them." ( Genesis 49:22-26).

     Found within this paternal blessing is El Shaddai, one of the many names for God found in the Bible.  When we look at the meaning for this name of God, we find that it means that God is our provider.  The word, shad, means "breast" in Hebrew, which equates to "sufficiency" and "nourishment". 

     Translators of the Septuagint believe that Shaddai comes from the root word shadad, which means "to overpower or destroy".  The combination of these definitions portrays a loving Father who provides and nourishes and yet is powerful and Almighty, in order to defend His children.  This is a picture of One who is always dependable, as well as willing to bestow good gifts upon those who look to Him.

     In order for us to fully live the abundant life Christ died for us to have, we must come to know Jesus as our sufficient and satisfying treasure.  He is the treasure that commands our desires.  Our sufficiency will always begin and end in Him.  Since He is the source of life itself, it is all under His control and is held together by Him.  His ability is unqualified and unlimited.  He is in all things, and He is all things.  The only disqualifier is our unbelief.

     He gives us this promise: " And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need have sufficiency [ possessing enough, in abundance, for every good work]." 2 Corinthians 9:8

     To abound and overflow, we depend on God as the source of our supply and our sufficiency.  His grace saves, strengthens, and sustains us so that we can abound in every good work.  God is unchangeable and unshakable and it always His will to do good in the earth.  Our responsibility is to respond to His ability and to quit depending on our own.

     He is all-sufficient, in both good times and in difficult times.  While in prison, Paul penned precious words regarding the sufficiency of Christ.  He said, " Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." ( Philippians 4:6-7).

     When we come to those times in our lives where we encounter a problem that has no earthly solution, we find that self-sufficiency is a lie.  Relying on the sufficiency of Christ is what will enable us to overcome every obstacle.  Even in the midst of bad news, we can still have joy if God is truly our sufficiency.  He is preiminent over all things and His worth and value remain constant.

     God is sufficient to get us through our troubles.  Most of us prefer for God to remove them altogether, but often He becomes our refuge and strength in the midst of them.  He counsels us "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." ( Psalm 46:10).

     Unfortunately, too often our hearts chase after worthless substitutes of God's presence in our lives. We settle for meaningless, transient outlets to the true desire God has placed within us.  We all have a God-shaped vacuum in our souls, but frequently we allow it to be filled with idols that rival Jesus' worth and value.  These idols will always prove to be a detriment in our walk with Christ.

     James Boice Montgomery described it this way, " Most people do not even know that it is God their souls truly desire.  They are seeking satisfaction in other things.  Others know God but do not cultivate His presence; they do not long after Him.  Is it not this above everything that explains the weakness of the contemporary Church?  Is it not this that makes us so hollow spiritually?"

     There are many countries accross the globe today where believers have to know that God is all-sufficient in order to thrive.  They are not distracted by other things because everyday they know their very survival is at risk.  They live each day knowing that today could be their last day on planet earth.  They are intentional in their pursuit of God.

     These believers embrace all the implications of the Gospel, not just the ones they prefer.  They understand their mission is to advance God's kingdom and they are willing to do so at any cost.  Even their own lives.

     This kind of passion and devotion can only be obtained when we believe and experience God's love personally.  When we have a personal connection with Jesus, He sees our greatest needs and provides for them.  This symbiotic relationship also brings the contentment that is our birthright as believers.

     Intimacy with God only comes when we pursue Him as our treasure.  This is what will: gratify our souls, edify the Church, and magnify God.  He pours out His Spirit upon us and we are enthralled! We respond like Paul did in his letter to the Church in Corinth: " Now thanks be to God for His Gift [precious] beyond telling [ His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]!"  ( 2 Corinthians 9:15).




                                                      Be Thou My Vision
                                                     (Fernando Ortega)

                                      Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
                                     Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
                                     Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
                                    Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

                                    Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
                                    I ever with Thee and THou with me Lord;
                                   Thou my great Father, I thy true son:
                                   Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

                                   Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
                                   Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight;
                                  Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high Tow'r:
                                  Raise Thou me heav'nward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.

                                  Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
                                 Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
                                 Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
                                 High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

                                High King of Heaven, my victory won,
                               May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heav'n Sun!
                               Heart of my own heart, whate'er befall,
                               Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.