Yesterday, I wrote about reaching the end of my rope in the midst of pain. Today, I was continuing my reading in Catherine Martin’s excellent book, Drawing Strength from the Names of God, and the Lord gave me a new insight about how He provides for us when we reach the end of our rope.
She quoted 2 Corinthians 12:9 which includes the memorable words, “…my grace is sufficient for you.” I had this sense that no matter how long or short the rope is, God provides what we need. Each of our ropes are not the same. Maybe your rope is longer than mine or shorter. Maybe your pain is greater or less than mine. Maybe your disappointment is greater or less than mine. Maybe your sin is greater or less than mine. Actually, since there’s no degree of sin (it’s all the same to God: BAD!), there’s only consequences that are greater or less than others.
So whatever the degree of the length of the rope, God is sufficient. His provision of whatever we need to carry on will increase or decrease according to the length of need. In knowing that, we have hope.
And then Catherine wrote, “When you trust in El Shaddai, you will learn to never give up as you watch God match your need with His sufficiency, regardless of the depth of the challenge.” (pg 18.)
And there it was: He matches whatever the length of the rope is. God’s name, El Shaddai, means “He is enough for you.” Whatever the length of your rope and when you think you can’t hold on any longer, He matches what you need with His provision so that it is enough.
It reminds me of the woman with the flask of oil and Elisha said, pour it out for me…and then there was more and more and more. (2 Kings 4)
It reminds of the Corrie ten Boom story where her sister, Betsey, had a little tiny bottle of vitamins. Betsey generously shared it with others. Corrie told her not to; that Betsey needed it for herself because she was more sickly than others. But Betsey just kept dropping the precious liquid out for any who asked. And that little bottle kept dropping and dropping and dropping precious vitamin liquid way beyond what Corrie realized it should. It was God’s “enough” coming through for women who would die anyway in the concentration camp (except for Corrie). But God cared about each one and provided just a little bit of hope and love and joy in that bottle of vitamins.
God is enough. God takes care of us and matches whatever the need with His sufficiency. If you need a lot; he’ll match it. If you need a little; He’ll match it. He’s has a matching gift program going on all the time. And all you have to do is say, “Help me.” That’s what I said when I was barely holding on to the end of my rope, as I was engulfed in pain. And God matched my need with His sufficiency to carry on. And I had hope.