THE EL SHADDAI
Genesis 17:1-8
Gen. 17:1 “I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless.” Knowing and trusting in El Shaddai brings you to a place of abundance where you realise that the God of heaven that you worship is All Sufficient, He is the All Mighty, and He is everything that you need. Perhaps no other name inspires greater faith and trust than El Shaddai.
The name El Shaddai appears first in connection with Abraham Gen. 17:1-8. “El” means Might or Power, Omnipotence and Transcendence. “Shaddai” means the “All Sufficient”. The root word is that of a nursing mother. It is derived from the Hebrew word for a mother’s breast and it is used figuratively for God Isa. 66:10-13. Then it came to mean “Pourer-forth” and then naturally to mean – Almighty. To the baby – the mother has infinite power. She is Almighty, she is All Sufficient. When connected with “El” – it means One Mighty to Nourish, to Satisfy, to Supply.
This is El Shaddai – the one who POURS FORTH. The one who says “Come unto me and drink.” This is the one who offers to sustain and bless. In this name God is seen to be the “pourer” or “shedder forth” of blessings, the all-sufficient and all-bountiful One. He is Almighty because He is able to carry out His purposes and plans. He is able to triumph over every obstacle and over all oppositions. He is the Being who nourishes, satisfies or supplies. El Shaddai is the one from whom all blessings flow; the giver of all good and perfect gifts; He is sufficient for all these things. He is able to subdue all things to Himself. He is able to save. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think Eph. 3:20.
How much comfort does this bring to you? To know we serve the One who is completely adequate to meet every need. But we must not forget that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His sufficiency is most manifest in our insufficiency. His fulness is revealed in our emptiness. And when we are filled with His blessings, from us may flow rivers of living water to a thirsty and needy humanity.
PRAYER: O Lord, fill me to overflowing with your blessings that I may be a blessing to others
