But how lovely to have just discovered that the Lord is El Shaddai! Our everything, all we will ever need. What's also remarkable here is the Lord's timing, since just a week or so ago I had the privilege of hearing Charles Price speak at some length on the first half of the book of Romans, addressing this very question of "How can we sin no more?" Last but not least, for the last while I've had the gift (yes, gift, apparently) of repeatedly, exasperatingly coming face to face with my own failure.
Lord, You don't ask me to know the way; You are the Way. I know now that You love me. The journey seems long some days, but we are on it together. Your loveliness will sustain me.
(March 2014) Several times in the past two years, I attempted to start doing a regular in-depth Bible study. I tried themes, chapters, word studies... Nothing ever got off the ground. Ironically, my natural affinity for research and analysis was working against me. Cross-references and word variants became the focus, rather than God. In answer to prayer, the Lord finally gave me an approach that works well with my personality. It's more of a treasure hunt than a study. Analysis is just one of the tools, not the process. The process is staying alert to what the Holy Spirit wants to show me about God. I've been discovering some very exciting things so far. For instance, the first "name of God" that God utters from His own mouth is "El Shaddai." Most Bibles translate this as "God Almighty," but there's debate about whether this is an accurate translation. The name may refer to God's might, but it may also refer to His role as our nurturer and sustainer, as well as to His role as the One who brings fruitfulness to whatever He plans. Perhaps God is saying all those things about Himself, because He is making a very powerful and significant statement (speaking to Abram, in Genesis 17:1): "I am El Shaddai; walk before Me, and be blameless." This verse is so familiar to us, but we tend to read it as though it's just a phrase in an Old Testament story. When the Holy Spirit gets hold of this verse and clubs you over the head with it, it takes on profound New Testament significance as a description of the walk God calls us to, through Christ. A verse in one of my all-time favorite hymns (William Cowper's "There Is a Fountain") goes like this: Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Will never lose its power 'Til all the ransomed church of God Be saved, to sin no more. How can we walk before Him and be blameless? How can we sin no more? He gives us the full explanation when He tells us "I am El Shaddai." Whatever He calls us to, He equips us for, not by making us strong, but by giving us Himself. Then, as we come face to face with our own failure (if we are surrendered, we will come to this place often), He reminds us that He and only He is our El Shaddai: our Sustainer, our Nurturer, our mighty Protector, and the One who produces fruitfulness. This verse is not some spiritual abstraction. Since I came to see its deeper significance, I've put it to work every day. When I am overwhelmed, when I fail, when I am fed up with myself, when I need His mighty strength... ...Ah, Lord, but You are my El Shaddai. I will walk before You, and be blameless. You are all I need. |