El Shaddai

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you…”Genesis 17:1

God identified Himself to Abram in the Hebrew term as El Shaddai, translated to us as Almighty. This was the first time God identified Himself as El Shaddai in the Bible as He knew Abram would require some convincing of God’s power to accomplish what God had promised. God’s covenant with Abram was that his wife Sarai would conceive and numberless descendents would come after them. All of this beginning at the ripe old age of 99!

The word El Shaddai has many meanings from its root word but it refers to being all sufficient, not requiring another thing. God stands alone in complete provision and divine guidance. He guides us with His light without any other means required for our journey.

This past weekend Bruce and I went to see the Morris Island Lighthouse. It stands all alone about 300 yards off shore from the island of Folly Beach. It is completely surrounded by water thanks to decades of shifting sand and erosion however it is still grand in structure and mighty in strength.

God is the Lighthouse for all of us as the sands of our lives shift, erode and rebuild. He alone stands in His strength and grandeur, all sufficient for our lives and committed to the covenant He makes with each of us.

El Shaddai has a specific plan for all of us as He stands tall in our lives to provide the proper guidance and light to assure our safe passage. Walking before Him allows His light to be cast upon our path providing the guidance required to accomplish His will for our lives, the covenant He cuts with us individually.

God is Almighty and will do what He sets out to accomplish. There is nothing in your life that is too big for God. In the words of my precious Grandmother,

“God is Lord of everything or God is Lord of nothing!”