God is Enough

This is a repost from around December 2011 as I was leaving for Afghanistan.

God is enough.

In the weeks leading up to my departure, that is the message that my wife and I consistently encountered in Scripture during our conversations and in our devotions and study. In one circumstance after another, we discerned the Spirit pulling us toward God’s glory as we peacefully rested in the enjoyment of Him.

Knowing that God is enough is not a call for isolation from others. It is not a move for independence from others. Rather, it’s an acknowledgment of why we were created – for God’s glory and our eternal enjoyment of Him. It’s the seeking of God and his grace over people, objects or patterns of thinking and behavior. In that enjoyment, we are able to then see God in the comfort and care offered by others. It’s the difference between needing someone or something to comfort me, and needing God to use someone for His glory through a ministry of comfort. It’s subtle, but significant.

My wife rests in God daily as she studies and grows in the prayer and Bible study. Every day she shares an exploding awareness about her fears, her longings, and the objects of her hope and trust. What started as a study in seeking satisfaction in God rather than appetites has transformed into a life changing examination of her heart’s desire. She sees how she has sought food for comfort, rather than feasting on God’s grace and Word. The study has highlighted that God is enough.

Our daughter is rightly convicted that fathers have a major role in protecting the purity of their daughters. She’s right! Her fear has been that her walk and purity may be compromised because I’m so far away. In our very tender and emotional discussion, we agreed that my physical presence is not the ‘secret’ to her walk of purity. God has made me her earthly father. As He has sustained in the past, he will sustain her now and always, though it may look slightly different. God, the giver of wisdom, grace, and mercy is enough.

Finally, He proclaimed his sufficiency in our son. On the morning of my departure, he sent me an email expressing some observations of the state of our family. His concern was for my wife, who transparently shared her sadness, and for his sister. He wrote, “I’m downright excited to see what this year brings. I am excited to grow closer to you even though we are tens of thousands of miles away. I want see how God works through our e-mails and letters and care packages.” As I read his email, I wept for joy. My tears were far more than a superficial relief that I wouldn’t have to worry about him. It was pure joy as he reflected a transforming heart yearning for God – the ultimate gift for a father. There, again, was the message – God is enough.

Knowing God is enough does not mean sadness and hurt don’t exist. We don’t naively believe that since we are hurting, we therefore must not be depending on His grace. Knowing God is enough means we aren’t looking for other things to satisfy our longing. Not food, not mindless entertainment, not the pursuit of material possession (“retail therapy”). As I was sharing with a dear friend and mentor about the sufficiency of God for my family and me and our pending separation, he quickly pointed out the first words of God to Adam after he was created: “It’s not good for man to be alone.” His wise mentorship reminded me to see our sadness as a compass pointing out that we were made to be together, and it is God’s strength along the way that we seek. He will bring us to that joyous day when we are together as God intended.

He is enough.

 

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