daily-devotionalsReading: “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine,

the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” —Genesis 17:1

Our old Bibles, in their margin, have retained the original El Shaddai, which we now read God Almighty, and marked it also God All-sufficient, meaning that Jehovah in covenant with Jesus, as the head of His people, is all-sufficient in Himself, and all-sufficient for all their need in time and to eternity.

He is God All-sufficient, or many breasts of consolation, (as some derive the word) for His faithful ones to suck at and draw from, in an endless supply. Here then, my soul, take this sweet title of thy covenant God and Father in Christ Jesus for thy daily meditation, both at the opening and through all the periods of the coming year. And as even at old age the Lord still opened to Abraham this precious source for his comfort, so look up in Jesus and behold it as your own. And, oh, my soul, walk before Him in the perfect righteousness of God your Saviour, and thus daily keep up fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

One of the Old Testament names of God is El Shaddai, meaning “the All-Sufficient One.” It is a name rich with meaning. Those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth find Him adequate for every necessity of life. They do not need any supplementary experience, a stronger dose of His redemption, or any other spiritual or emotional accoutrements. God has given to every believer abundant grace that is utterly sufficient to fulfill our deepest longings, our most intense cravings, our most profound needs—every human requirement. —John MacArthur

Taken from The Poor Man’s Evening and Morning Portions by Rev. Robert Hawker, Works, Vol. 8; 1830. Edited by Aaron Dunlop for thinkgospel.com ©2014.