Is God Enough?
A few weeks ago, I was meditating on the feeding of the five thousand and as I marveled at the enormous amount of leftovers (their baskets were the size of backpacks!), God seemed to say to me, Are you ready for me to be more than enough to you? This more than enough phrase is a variation on an old joke between God and me because several years ago I sensed God asking me, Am I enough? At first I’d replied: Well, yes, but I would also like to be a bestselling author. This conversation went on for two years until I finally was able to answer that God is enough. So now… Am I ready for God to be more than enough?
So for a week or more, I stayed with the more than enough passages (the feedings, the miraculous catches of fish). I got to thinking about the God-style rich life – how it’s full of the constant companionship of God, meaningful moments with others, and power to bring in God’s kingdom to change you and me and this world. All those passages about the “riches of his glory,” “riches of his grace” and the “abundant life” overwhelmed me and I began wondering how this compared to the prosperity gospel – a version of the gospel that is strangely popular in the already-richest nation in the world.
I began thinking about the great saints (including Paul) who had that constant companionship of God, meaningful connections with others and access to God’s great power but never had the things Americans want: financial security, to be universally applauded and popular, to achieve in a way that everyone recognizes and that makes me feel good about me; to have a life devoid of problems or challenges. I know that many verses are quoted to support our “right” to these things, but the people I look up to – both dead and living – don’t have those things and don’t seem to want them.
I began thinking that we dare not dictate to God what the riches of God’s glory SHOULD look like. This is not only because God is God and I am not, but also because the true riches (that Paul had “in Christ”) were more than we can imagine and different from what we imagine.
This is the life Paul lived (though in prison and at times going hungry and in need): full of God’s glorious riches (Eph 3:16; Phil 4:19; Col 1:27); filled with power and filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph 3:19); a life of celebrating “in Christ” (Phil 3:1; 4:4, 10); of not worrying but turning things over to God; of the peace of God guarding his heart and mind; of focusing on goodness. That’s why he was content with both plenty and with neediness (Phil. 4:4-8, 11-12).
It’s important to converse with God honestly about whether you really trust that God is enough. If not, what else are you hoping for? If so, are you willing and ready for God to be “more than enough,” pulling you into those “riches in glory”?
Grace and peace,
Jan Johnson
www.JanJohnson.org
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