EL SHADDAI: Is He enough for you?

It’s February Already… and a Word I Can’t Shake

Is it just me, or did January fly by? It’s already February—my birthday month, wujuuu! 🎉 And honestly, Christmas still feels like it was just yesterday. The last couple of months have been a blur, filled with reflection, emotion, and that familiar mix of nostalgia and anticipation. Time really is moving fast, and as it does, it has a way of surfacing questions like what’s next? and what now?

As I’ve been thinking back, I can’t ignore both the good and the hard. And I know many of us are ready to move on. Some of us have already closed the chapter on 2025, determined not to look back. New year resolutions are in motion, words of the year have been declared, and we’re pushing forward—maybe even trying to forget how difficult last year really was.

And I get it.2025 was hard.

But here’s the question that’s been stirring in my heart: Why would we want to forget a season that God brought us through?  Why erase the very testimony that proves He sustained us, protected us, provided for us, and carried us when we didn’t think we would make it? If we’re still standing, it’s not because we were so strong—it’s because God was faithful.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to share a word at my church, and it has stayed with me. In its simplest form, it centered around a name of God we don’t always pause to sit with: El Shaddai.

El Shaddai is often translated as "God Almighty," but it means so much more than power. It reveals God as the All-Sufficient One—the God who is enough when we are not. The first time God introduces Himself as El Shaddai is in Genesis 17, when Abraham is 99 years old and the promise God made to him feels impossible. God doesn’t give Abraham a new strategy—He gives him a revelation of who He is. In other words, the promise isn’t carried by your strength; it’s carried by My sufficiency.

Throughout Scripture, we see this tension play out again and again. When people don’t fully trust that God is enough, they start withholding control, obedience, faith, or surrender. Israel wanted a king they could see instead of trusting God as their true King (1 Samuel 8:4–7). Saul obeyed halfway and called it a sacrifice, holding back what God clearly told him to surrender, and the prophet reminded him that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Jesus later tells a parable about a servant who buried the talent he was given—not out of rebellion, but out of fear (Matthew 25:24–25). And that’s the pattern: fear makes us hide, but faith releases what God has placed in our hands and trusts Him with the outcome.

But God invites us into something better. Psalm 91 reminds us that those who dwell in the secret place live under the shadow of the Almighty—El Shaddai. Psalm 125 tells us that just as mountains surround Jerusalem, God surrounds His people with stability, protection, and endurance. When we truly believe God is all-sufficient, we stop striving so hard and start trusting more deeply.

Maybe this season isn’t about rushing ahead or forgetting what was. Maybe it’s about remembering, reflecting, and choosing to be anchored in El Shaddai. Being content with what we have. Trusting God fully. And learning to multiply what’s already in our hands.

Because this year can’t be another year of just surviving. This is the year we learn to live anchored in the All-Sufficient One.

If this resonated with you, I encourage you to take some time to listen to the full message. It explores how El Shaddai is revealed from Genesis through the New Testament, and how that understanding shapes the way we trust God, obey God, and move forward anchored in Him. https://youtu.be/NKRLVrhms-Y?si=vlcsDTHXV73QCDQf

Next Steps (Action)

1. Pause and remember. Take a moment this week to look back at the season you want to forget. Write down one way God sustained you, protected you, or carried you through. Let remembrance strengthen your faith instead of reopening wounds.

2. Identify what you may be withholding. Ask yourself honestly: Is there an area where I’ve been holding back—trust, obedience, generosity, forgiveness, or faith?  Bring that area before God without shame.

3. Practice dwelling, not striving. Choose one intentional rhythm this upcoming week to dwell with God—quiet prayer, Scripture reading, worship, or journaling. Stay; don’t rush. Let your roots go deeper.

4. Release what’s in your hands. Like the parable of the talents, take one small step to invest what God has already given you instead of burying it. Trust that El Shaddai will multiply what you release.

5. Move forward anchored, not afraid. Ask God to align your heart with His calling. Decide now that you will move forward trusting His sufficiency, not your own strength.

   
   

Prayer:

God, You are the All-Sufficient One. Thank you for carrying us through seasons we didn’t think we would survive. Forgive us for the places where fear made us withhold, strive, or try to control what only You can hold. Teach us to dwell in Your presence and trust You fully.

Anchor our hearts in who You are, not in what we can do. As we step into this new season, we give You our full yes—our faith, our obedience, and our future. We believe you are enough, and we choose to live from that truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

With Love, Aurey!