Who do you say that I am?

Earlier this week, I spent time with some colleagues, dwelling in Matthew 16:13-23, where Jesus first begins to talk of his death. He asks his disciples the pivotal question: "Who do you say I am?" We were challenged to answer that question ourselves, not in the "good, true" answers that we intellectually knew to be correct, but rather, on a heart level.

And the question which I kept coming back to was, "Do I believe that God is sufficient?" Enough for my students; enough for my housing and funding; enough for me in a new location; enough so that I can be weak and messy and He can still work? And the answer to that question, on a heart level, is that I often struggle to believe that God is enough. But that struggle is a good one, because it continually drives me to my knees in repentance and dependence, as I realize more fully my own need, and ask God to show me himself more fully. And, I think that God delights to show us how big he is, if we are willing to ask him.

A wise colleague advised me to read Abram's story, as I prepare to make the move to Boston, and even as I struggle with this idea of God's sufficiency. Genesis 12:1 begins,

"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.'"

It is then followed by God's promised blessing to Abraham in verses 2-3. But the key thing to note is that God does not give Abram the details of the blessing: it is enough that He is called by the Lord. God does not always explain his provision, nor does he always show us the means by which he intends to bless us. Rather, he asks us to step out in faith, trusting in nothing more and nothing less than than the fact that he is sufficient. And then, as we turn to him in faith, he delights to show us himself. Let us pray boldly, therefore, because He delights to astonish us!