Sufficiency of God

The names of God are beautiful tools for gaining deeper understanding into the character of our God. El Shaddai is a commonly used name of God and it is often translated as “God Almighty,” which is obviously beautiful encouragement to remember how big and strong the One we worship is. However there’s another translation possibility: “All-Sufficient One.”

The idea of the All-Sufficient One actually comes from the root connection to the Hebrew word for breasts (shadaim), and as we think of a mother nurturing and feeding her child, we think of sufficiency and nourishment. Some even believe El Shaddai literally means “the many breasted one,” which again reinforces that idea of abundant sustenance and provision. 

This isn’t about assigning gender to God, for God transcends gender (I use He/Him as I write simply because historically those have been used similarly to how the word “man” can both refer to a male or a human). We are created in God’s likeness so all our attributes come from Him. He embodies both the masculine and the feminine – the full spectrum. Complete sufficiency. All that we need. 

As such, God embodies the nurturing, fierce love that we think of as being a mother’s heart. A mother nurtures in the womb, then at her breast, and on as her children grow. God’s heart is the same nurturing, sustaining flow. He desires to see His children revitalized, renewed and pursuing the passion and purpose. He wants to protect and heal hearts, and He wants to birth and bring forth the things He has planted in each one of His children. 

And to make this even more personal, let me say: His desire is for YOU. He wants to nurture you. You are His delight and He wants all there is for you. He wants to lavish new things on you. He wants to comfort you at His breast and transform you into your highest self. He sees you as He made you: fulfilling all your potential and expanding and blooming under His watchful care. Embrace and receive the all-sufficient flow of El Shaddai. 

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