Confidence in Knowing God Is Enough
By Aaron D’Anthony Brown
“Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
What Do People Mean by 'God Is Enough'?
There’s one phrase that used to boggle my mind, even annoy me. God is enough. It was incredibly frustrating to hear during bouts of loneliness when I not only prayed but strived to change my life into what I wanted. Somehow or another, I ended up short. And yet, I kept hearing that phrase. God is enough.
When I consider those low seasons, the apostle Paul comes to mind, a man who at one point lived with what he called a “thorn in the flesh.” Much like any sensible person, he tried to rid himself of this thorn through prayer. Presumably, the thorn was too great a task for his own efforts. Thus, he enlisted the help of God. But God didn’t answer Paul’s prayer by doing what he asked. Instead, the Lord indicated something else.
“Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
Paul learned God is enough. What is your thorn in the flesh, or what have you lacked during the low seasons? Some of us live through periods of wanting more, even believing that we need more - finances, relationships, children. What helps us get from one end of the hardship to the other is remembering that God is enough. No matter how tired we may feel about hearing that statement, we are being told the truth. God is enough. Enough for what, you ask? God is enough for us to be content. Here’s how we can find confidence in knowing God is enough.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Despite the admonitions from others, despite the Sunday sermons, and despite our own Scripture readings, we vacillate between trusting God and not trusting God. We sometimes believe God is enough, and sometimes wonder. To have confidence, we must build in reminders for ourselves, preparing for those days when we will forget, and further strengthening ourselves when we know.
Here are some steps you can take today to build your remembrance.
Memorize Scripture
While we may take time to read Scripture, reading is not the same action as memorizing. Anyone can take a cursory glance at the text, and even carry on a conversation about what they read. Memorizing requires more effort. Memorization also provides us the benefit of building our confidence. How do we know we can trust God? Well, we can recall speaking instances in the Bible speaking this very truth. If you’re in a season of struggling with money, being able to recite those verses to yourself will uplift your spirits. The same applies to loneliness and other areas of struggle.
Record God’s Blessings
The elation of being delivered from one adversity can sometimes fall by the wayside when we are brought into another trial, and subsequently forget how God just blessed us. One solution is to keep a record of God’s blessings through a journal or some other form of writing. Jot down what your heart longs for, then later once the prayer has been answered, write when and how God came through. Refer to your manuscript as needed, or even better, refer to your writings out of habit to keep your mind and heart uplifted.
Encourage Others
One way to maximize our suffering is to shift our focus to solely ourselves. Our problems gain stature when all we do is focus on them. In just the opposite way, turning our focus to others helps to minimize our suffering. This is why people who are struggling are encouraged to volunteer or find someone to serve. Doing so not only raises our spirits but serves as a reminder to the other person and us, as to how God provides. This is especially felt when we encourage other people through Scripture. Reminding them of God’s word is a reminder to ourselves too!
Keep Reading the Bible
During one long and dreary season of life, I read through the Book of Job. Later in life, when another season hit, I figured there was no point in reading that book again because it wouldn’t make a difference. Wrong. Even if you have already read a certain verse, passage, or book, make reading a habit. Then keep the habit alive when life is good and when life is bad.
Reading offers the reminders we need and the ones we didn’t know we need when life gets tough. God is enough, and Scripture confirms this. There were characters in Scripture, people like Job, who encountered a number of terrible circumstances. God sustained them. They were not immediately delivered, but eventually, they came out okay. And he can sustain us too.
We need to be confident in knowing that God is enough.
For Further Reading (and Listening):
- “Yet Praise” by Marvin Winans & The Perfected Praise Choir
- “Stand in Faith” by Danny Gokey
- Hebrews 13:5
- Matthew 6:25-34
- 1 Peter 1:3-9
- Habakkuk 3:17-18
- Philippians 4:11-13
- 2 Corinthians 12:6-10
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Ryan McVay
Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
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