Is God enough?

We had the privilege of a visit at the national office on Thursday. Craig and Ladonna Smith shared the story of their car wreck and severe injuries after their time at General Council 2009.

Then Craig shared something that stopped me in my tracks. Is God enough? Even if you lost your "ministry" would He be enough. Haven't stopped thinking about it.

I must confess that there are times that I think what would my life look like if everything I do for Jesus suddenly disappeared...

• the work here at the national office,
• the involvement at church,
• sharing with people on the Alpha Course...
• everything was such that I couldn't do it any more.

Would God be enough? Right this second I must say that it would be very difficult to answer....

So what say ye in the community?

I have to confess that I, too, would find that question difficult to answer. I have struggled with this same question when singing praise and worship songs that proclaim things like, "You're all that I need," etc. Is He really all that I need? Of course, I know He is. But is that understanding having an impact in my daily life? When I whine and complain about petty (and even not so petty) problems in my life, that certainly doesn't testify to the truth that God is enough for me. It's a sobering thought.

Recently, my husband and I went through a very difficult time when he lost his job (not just a job, but his passion) and, as a result, we sold our home. We knew that God was enough with our heads, but there were many days that knowledge didn't get through to our hearts. Sometimes, grief is so overwhelming that we don't "feel" God's presence or sense His work in our lives. The cool thing is that, even in those times, He keeps right on working and loving and bestowing grace for each moment. And, after a while, when we've worked our way through the tough time and healing is taking place, we can look back and say with absolute clarity, "God is enough!" At first, we said it with our minds...now we say it with our hearts because we have experienced it once again!

My God is sufficient. Rolls off the tongue rather nicely, doesn't it? And like the others, I find myself wondering if I truly believe it deep down in my heart, and wondering if I honestly believe God when He says He is Sufficient. But as Ms. Umbel states, "after a while, when we've worked our way through the tough time," I also have come to discover that it is in my past in which I can most clearly see God's Truth at work. Rarely in the midst of a crisis can I see clearly, think rationally, or even remember God's past Faithfulness. But it is ALWAYS in the reflection period after the intensity of the moment has subsided and the adrenaline and emotions die down that I can indeed say with a then-renewed confidence that indeed my Lord is Sufficient. I believe that for this reason, testimony is such a great benefactor...for those who hear our words of praise to God....but primarily for ourselves. In testifying to God's Power, Deliverance, Sufficiency, we are reminding ourselves, and reinforcing within our own hearts and minds what we continue to base our hope upon...that God is All we need.