March 31 El Shaddai: God Almighty

  

Theme: Trusting in the Power and Might of God in Life’s Challenges.

Tahshiek Francis
Kings SDA Church

And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness” …  2 Corinthians 12: 9

If we are to be like Jesus, if we are to strive to be like our Father in heaven who gives grace to everyone, why can’t I give grace to those who grieve me, hurt me, bruise me, batter me, shun me, reject me, betray me?

I must never forget what the Lord has done for me and extend it to others.  He forgives me daily; he forgives us daily.

Indeed, you know when someone is hurting you presumptuously, that is something you will deal with in a different Godly way.  If we strive and live our lives daily for God, then surely His grace will be sufficient for us to tap into to extend to others.  That’s when we will gain strength through the surmountable challenges we face.  We have to learn to trust in the power and might of God; it will help us to extend grace.

“Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within… 

Grace that is greater than all our sins”.

If we recall the “One set of Footprints in the Sand” song, God carried the young lady.  When you are at your weakest, when I am at my weakest, God is carrying you and me.  No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, God is there with His grace, compassion, mercy, and strength, sufficient to take care of any thorn in your flesh as with the apostle Paul.  

Your night of woes may be many years, if you are praying to God about something, you have to understand that a teacher is always silent in the test.  He is not absent; whatever you are going through will only bring glory to Him and strengthen you.  Your challenges really strengthen you, not break you.  Think about it, if you were not going through these challenges, would you seek God this much or at all?  

Then there are those who are too weak to even seek God.  Whichever category you are in, I want to remind you that God will ease the pressure in His time, He is not slack concerning His promises!  

2 Corinthians 4 vs 18 (NKJV) reminds us “so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”.

The things we see that hit us like a cricket ball are there to serve as a distractor to keep us out of heaven.  They are there to keep us burdened, focused on the problem, washed with worry, gives us nail-biting anxieties that seem like they’re going to eat us alive!  Then when our focus is bent on earthly matters, we can’t see God’s might, we can’t fix our eyes upon Jesus, upon the goal to make it to heaven, our problems seem bigger than God…satan twists God’s promises and words to keep us away from trusting God, because he knows what heaven is like…he does not want us to get what he lost, he knows the paradise that awaits us to live eternally.  We can only imagine how beautiful heaven must be, but oh “what it must be to be there”, “for angels can never tell the joy our salvation will bring”. 

So give your matters of the heart that weary you to the Lord and you won’t feel so tired and weary, but you have to trust Him to guard your heart. 

 We have to believe in His might, trust in His power, His grace is sufficient in our weakness.  No matter what we are fasting and praying about, and it seems like God is not seeing or hearing, His grace is sufficient.  Keep fasting, keep on praying.  He is the God who turned dry bones into life, who raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11 vs 1 – 40), parted the red sea (Exodus 14 vs 1-30), gave Gideon’s army triumph (Judges 6-7), rained down fire from heaven that consumed a flooded altar with wet sacrifice and wood (1st Kings 18 vs 23 – 39), saved Daniel from the lions in the Den (Daniel 6) among so many other mighty things He has done.   How we forget easily the mighty things God has done and will continue to do!  We wallow in our pain.  It is hot, overbearing, and overwhelming, I know!  We have to then dress back, change our tactics to overcome, it starts with trusting in the power and might of God.

Just remember “... weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning”. Psalm 30:5. Remember that God’s timing determines the morning. 

Prayer: 

Our father in heaven, we declare that sometimes we don’t understand but help us to trust Your heart knowing  that you are too wise to be mistaken. Remind us that your grace is sufficient and that you will not give us more than we can bear. Fill us with hope in times of difficulties and help us to realize that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.