What If You’re Not Meant to Handle It All? | Paul Drader

What if you’re not meant to carry the weight of everything on your own?

This week, Pastor Paul Drader continues our What’s in a Name? series with a look at the name El Shaddai, meaning God Almighty. In this message, we’re reminded that we don’t have to live under constant pressure to have it all together. Instead, we’re invited to trust in the strength of a God who is more than enough.

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Transcript

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- Hey, this is Phil Kal, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- Well, good morning. It's great to see you in church today. And normally I spend my Sundays at our Tigr campus. I gotta give a shout out to the Tigr campus. Hope you guys have a great Sunday and we'll see you next week. But I'm glad to be here today sharing from God's word. I got a question for you as we kick things off this morning. Do you know why your parents named you what they did? Maybe it's a family name that's been around for generations or maybe you're named after a celebrity or an athlete or a movie character that your parents loved or maybe they just like the way that it sounded. And names are interesting, aren't they? They can. Certain names can trigger a memory, either good or bad. Sometimes names connect you to a family and at other times, simply having a certain name can lead to assumptions about your personality. Take for example the name Karen . Karen's have got this bad rat for being complainers and I'm sorry to all the Karens out there who are genuinely great people. You deserve better. So on behalf of society, I apologize to you, but does what people call you really matter? In my early elementary years, uh, there was two Pauls in our class. One of us was very tall and the other one was me. . . And so instead of using our last names as identifiers, our class just went with Big Paul and little Paul . Yeah, pretty awesome. Just 13 more years of therapy. And I should have the damage of that behind me and out of my system. Honestly, I didn't really care. I mean he was huge and I wasn't, it was the most efficient way to identify us. Basically my teacher was, I got kids, say what you see. And um, here's the even more ironic part about this whole situation, though. The name Paul means small. And so at least I was living up to my true identity. The other guy was a total Paul fraud. He was way too big for his namesake. But do you know what your name means in scripture? Names are highly significant and often carry deep meaning. Daniel, for example, means God is my judge. And Jesus, he changes Simon's name to Peter, which means rock or stone. And he tells him that on him, he's gonna build his church. See, for Peter, this wasn't just a nickname, it spoke to his identity and his purpose. What about God? You ever wondered what his name is? God is identified by many different names in the Bible and each one provides deeper insight to who he is, what he's capable of. And they also reveal why he's worthy of our praise and our devotion. And it's so important that we have a clear understanding of who God is.'cause when we don't understand the full nature and character of God, it can lead to misconceptions about who he is and what he's capable of, as well as a misunderstanding of his involvement in our lives, which then ultimately affects our relationship with him. And so our aim in this series is to provide a well-rounded picture from scripture of who God is so that we understand his character, what we can expect from him, and how we can relate and interact with him. How you think about God determines your destiny. So today we're gonna be examining one of the Hebrew names we find in the Old Testament of God. And it's this l should I? Now, some of you who used to listen to Christian radio all the time now have that classic song by Amy Grant in your head. And I'm either sorry or you're welcome depending on how you feel about that song. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Anybody know that song? Yeah. Well, there's considerable debate regarding the full and proper interpretation of the name. L should IL refers to God or divinity should I though does not have as clear a meaning. The consensus though among scholars, they tend to land, they land on almighty meaning all powerful, sovereign. And so we put that together, we get God Almighty. Other interpretations are all sufficient. One meaning he is the God who is enough. He can meet any need. And this also implies that God is provider and nurturer and sustainer of life. Another possible meaning is the God of the mountain. A God often interacted with people on mountains and thus mountain idea also speaks to his strength and his stability. Nothing is outside of his ability, nothing is outside of his control. He is powerful, he's sufficient, he's steady. That's who God is, almighty and sovereign. But as we're gonna discover today, also deeply personal and the name Almighty also affirms something critical to Christianity, to the Christian faith. And that's the idea of monotheism. See, there can only be one almighty and he doesn't reveal himself as one of the mighty ones. He reveals himself as the almighty one. So today we're gonna explore four attributes of El Shadai God Almighty, so we can better understand his nature and how that shapes our relationship and our daily interactions with him. And the first attribute is power. El Shadai is the God of the impossible and the miraculous. And the first time we see God reveal himself with this name, El Shadai is in Genesis chapter 17 when he speaks to Abraham, who later becomes Abraham. And this is what it says there, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am El. Should I God Almighty, serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants. So Abraham is 99 years old and his wife is 90 years old. And God told Abraham that he would make him into a great nation. Only problem is they haven't yet been able to conceive a child. And this promise from God is not only feeling delayed, it's starting to seem impossible. And at separate times, both Abraham and his wife Sarah, they laughed at themselves in disbelief thinking, how could this possibly be at their age? God's response to Sarah's laughter is this, in Genesis 1814, is anything too hard for the Lord? When it seemed impossible, the invitation from God was to trust and allow El Shada to do what only he can do to allow his power to accomplish the impossible. And then we see this in Genesis 21, 1, the Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Quick question. Any ladies close to 90 years old in the room? Any ladies close to 90 years old who could imagine having a child right now? Right? That seems a little bit late, a little bit impossible, doesn't it? But the thing that felt too late for Abraham and Sarah was right on time for God. The impossible situation is where El Shadai reveals his power. See, because when it's not impossible, then we can just take credit for it. But when it's impossible, then God alone gets the credit. So what feels too far gone in your life? Too late or too broken? Let El Shadai speak over it. Is anything too hard for the Lord? God shows up and he declares to Abraham that he is God almighty, but he doesn't just say it, he proves it. See, I could claim that I am Paul and I'm a better hockey player than Connor McDavid, but that doesn't make it true. If I went around making claims like that, people would want me to back it up to prove it right? And that's why we can trust that he is God almighty because he consistently proves his power throughout scripture. So what are some ways that he does that? Well to me it started with creation. We read this in Genesis one, one to two. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the deep waters and the spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. He created the universe and all of creation out of nothing. And not only that, the Bible tells us that he spoke it into existence. Think about that for a moment. God spoke, galaxies appeared. God said, let there be light and the light obey him. And at his word, mountains rose oceans formed and stars filled the sky. Every part of creation from the swirl of a galaxy to the unique code in our DNA, it testifies to his creative power. Now you can choose to believe that all the incredible intricacies of creation just happen, happened by chance. But to me, the expanse of the universe and the complexities of the solar system, the beauty of nature and the intricacies that give life to every living creature, to me, all of creation reveals an almighty creator who alone had the power to speak things into existence, but he didn't just have the power to create the world, he also has power over it. And there's several different examples in scripture that you can see, but I wanna highlight one, and that's the parting of the Red Sea. So generations after Abraham, his descendants, the Israelites found themselves enslaved in Egypt. And while they're fleeing, they faced an uncrossable Red Sea with Pharaoh's army fast approaching another impossible moment, a dead end Red sea in front Egyptian army behind, no way forward. And that's when El Shadi shows up again, not just with words but with power. This is what we read in Exodus 14, 13 to 14 and then 21 and 22. But Moses told the people, don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you, just stay calm. Then Moses raised his hand over the sea and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. And the wind blew all that night turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground with walls of water on each side. What an amazing display of God's power. Like just imagine that what that would've been something to see and to experience. And maybe like the Israelites, you feel trapped. You're facing bills, job uncertainty, a doctor's report, uh, an addiction or relational challenges and you just feel like there's no way forward. It seems impossible and it seems overwhelming. Be encouraged today. L should die is the God of the impossible. And no matter what you're facing today, he is greater creation out of nothing impossible. A pregnancy for 90 year olds. Impossible parting of the Red Sea, impossible. So what's your impossible? 'cause? It's not for God Almighty. Nothing is impossible for him. So Elai isn't just a distant God though who steps in once in a while to do the miraculous. He's also the God who nourishes and sustains and he provides for our daily needs. Which leads us to our second attribute I wanna look at today, which is provision. See one of the lesser known meanings of the name L should I comes from the Hebrew root word shad, which means breast. And this paints a nurturing picture like a mother feeding her child, highlighting God as the source of life of comfort and provision. And in this way, El Shadi isn't just all powerful, he's all sufficient, the one who gives and sustains life. He is never lacking. He is always enough. And the Israelites, they would've experienced this firsthand. After the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, they entered the wilderness and soon began to grumble about their lack of food. And you can read that in Exodus chapter 16. So God in his mercy, he provides manna, which is a flaky substance that appeared each morning. It was a miracle of provision, but it was also a lesson in trust. See, God instructed them to only gather what they needed for that day. About two quarts per person. If they tried to store up more for the next day, it would rot and then be full of maggots. But why such and specif specific instructions Because this was about more than just food. It was about learning to trust. El should die the sustainer daily to depend on him every single day for what they need. And this is something we likely could all work on because how often do we try to secure our, our own tomorrow storing up just in case only to have our plans and our ideas spoiled and not go the way that we expected? Is there an area in your life where maybe you're holding onto control and choosing self-reliance rather than trusting on God to provide God is calling us to daily dependence on him, seeking him for what we need every single day and pursuing his will for our lives, trusting that he will provide and sustain us rather than having to strive in our own strength. But God's provision isn't just about our physical needs, it's also about sustaining us through hardship. And no one knew this better than a guy in the Bible called Job. He suffered nearly every imaginable loss, family, health, wealth, his reputation. And yet through it all Job continually acknowledged that God is the one who sustained him. The name should die. You'll find it more than 30 times in the Book of Job more than any other book. But even in lament Job clung to the reality of God sustaining presence. This is what he said the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed is the one who God, whom God corrects. So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty should I, that I would still have this consolation my joy and unrelenting pain that I had not denied the words of the holy one. Despite his honest wrestling, he never let go of the truth. That El should die, had not abandoned him. God was still sustaining his soul even when the world around him had crumbled. And even Jesus himself, he modeled this complete dependence on the Father. In Matthew chapter four, Jesus is out in the wilderness and he's fasting for 40 days. He's hungry and he's weak and he's tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. And then this is something that Jesus could have done, but he responded with the words of Deuteronomy eight, three. It says, this man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Jesus, the son of God, understood that true provision isn't just physical, it's spiritual. And he trusted his father completely to sustain him. He could have solved his own problem and strengthened his body, but he knew where his true source of strength comes from. And if Jesus relied on God to provide for him, how much more do we need to seek the sustaining provision of El Daily? In the apostle Paul as well, he understood this and he gave this encouragement in Philippians four 19. And the same God who takes care of me will supply all of your needs from his glorious riches which have been given, uh, given to us in Christ Jesus. Paul speaks from experience. He had endured hunger, shipwrecks, beatings and imprisonment and still declares God will supply all of your needs. And that's the same confidence that we can have in El Shadai. Whatever you're facing today, whatever you need, maybe it's strength for the struggle, maybe it's healing for your heart or it's hope for the future. Maybe you need rest for your soul or provision for a need. El should die is more than able. He's not just the God of the miracles, he's also the God of manna. The one who shows up daily, the one who nourishes, sustains, and he provides. He's the one who is always enough. So you can come to him not just in the moments of complete desperation, but in your everyday moments of need with complete trust like a child going to their mother, fully dependent, fully loved and fully supplied by El Shada. So from the moment you wake up, know this, he's there. When you're having a tough day at work, when you're feeling discouraged, when you feel alone and you need someone to talk to, when you're lacking strength, he's always there ready to supply you with what you need. So far we've seen God's power and his provision at work. And the third attribute is protection. And we read this in Psalm 91, 1 to two, those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety. He is my God and I trust him. Have you ever had someone invade your personal space? Maybe you had a guest overstay their welcome at your house or maybe you were standing in a line and the person behind you is just way too close and you can like feel them really breathing on the back of your neck. It's like, dude, back up a little bit. Right? Most of us, we like a little bit of personal space, don't we? But when it comes to God, closeness is exactly what he invites. See, to be in someone's shadow, you have to be near them. And Psalm 91 tells us that those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This is a picture of proximity, not a passing visit, but daily closeness. The invitation isn't just to draw near when we need him, but rather to live in the shelter of the most high. And this idea of protection and safety, it's found throughout the Book of Psalms in Psalm 18, two. It says, the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior. My God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me and my place of safety. In Proverbs 1810, it also references this idea. The name of the Lord is a strong fortress. The Godly run to him and are safe. Throughout scripture, we see these dramatic and unforgettable examples of God's protection. And maybe you're familiar with some of these stories or maybe you've never heard them, but I'll give a couple of examples. There are three guys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Ab Bendigo whose faith got them thrown into a fiery furnace. And they weren't just spared from the fire, God showed up in the fire with them. Another guy named Daniel, he was thrown into hungry, thrown to hungry lions for his obedience to God. But God shut their mouths and he was unharmed all night. And the apostle Paul that I mentioned earlier, he wrote many of the New Testament books in the Bible faced shipwrecks, beatings, and danger on every side. Yet he was preserved by God to complete the mission that God had for him. Each of these men had complete trust and dependence on God and they walked with him daily. Psalm 91, it continues and it says this in verse 14. The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. Protection from El Shada is found in our proximity to him and are willingness to trust him. Do you trust him today? Putting our faith and trust in God doesn't just mean a trouble free life, but it does mean a protective one, a lifer. No matter what the world throws at you, you're never alone, you're never unshielded, and you're never with without hope. So today, can I encourage you with this? If you're tired, if you're anxious, if you feel overwhelm, overwhelmed, don't run harder, run closer, find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Stop striving in your own strength and let him be your refuge, your strong tower and your shield. One Peter five, six and seven says, so humble yourselves under the mighty power of God and at the right time, he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God for he cares about you. What's keeping you up at night? What's weighing heavily on your chest right now? Don't try to fight it alone. Don't carry what you were never meant to bear on your own. Humble yourself under your his mighty hand and run into his shadow. You can do this by praying to him. He is God almighty. He can handle your concerns, you can be real with him. Or maybe it's by listening to worship music just to refocus your attention on God and away from your problem, but cast your cares on him because he really does care for you. So we see that El should die is powerful enough to do the impossible. He's present enough to sustain us and nourish us through his provision. And he's personal enough to protect us when life feels overwhelming. But there's one more truth that we can't overlook. El should die keeps his promises always. Let's return back to where we began with Abraham and Sarah, where we first heard the name El Shadai in Genesis 17, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I'm El Shadai God Almighty. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. Now catch this last part. I will make a covenant with you by which I will guarantee to give you countless generations. So as we already talked about the birth of their son, Isaac at their age was a miracle. But this baby was more than just the display of God's power. It was a moment of covenant. God was binding himself to a promise and revealing himself as the one who is always good on his word. Like I mentioned earlier about Jesus changing Simon's name to Peter, God also changed Abraham's name to Abraham, meaning Father of many. Further to me, emphasizing the importance of names in scripture as well as highlighting that when God gives somebody a name, it's a revelation of their identity and their purpose. See Abraham, he called himself old and laughed at the possibility of having a child, but God called him the father of many El should. I said, when I make a promise, it will be fulfilled and nothing is impossible for me because I am the covenant keeper. He was saying, you may not see it yet, but I'm so committed to this promise that I'm gonna rename your identity to reflect it. And God did fulfill it. Isaac was born and generations followed and Abraham became the F Father of nations just as God said, Deuteronomy seven, nine, understand therefore that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavish his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. And Hebrews 10 23 says, let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm. For God can be trusted to keep his promise. God's promises don't rely on our performance, they rest on his character. And the Israelites, they prove this time and time again, they grumbled, they disobeyed, they doubted. And yet God remained faithful. He led them out of Egypt. He brought them out of through the wilderness and then into the promised land. Your failures don't disqualify you from the promises of God. He is El Shadai, he is the covenant keeper and he always finishes what He starts. There's another promise that God made. The greatest promise of all that was made for each of us is the promise of salvation, restoration and eternal life. And it was fulfilled in Jesus. This is what Jesus says in John 6 48 to 51, yes, I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven however will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. And this bread which I offer so the world may live, is my flesh. Jesus, God's own son, he came and he lived a life free from sin and he went to the cross to be the sacrifice for our sin. Three days later, he rose from the dead revealing his power and fulfilling the promise. And our faith in that reality means forgiveness of our sins. It means restoration of our broken relationship with God and it means eternity with him in heaven. And that is the promise that is offered to each of us. Jesus is the ultimate proof that El Shada keeps his word. Maybe you're waiting on a promise, maybe it's healing or restoration or provision or some direction and maybe it feels too late and it feels too impossible. Can I encourage you today, El Shadai, the Almighty, all sufficient promise keeping God hasn't forgotten you. If he said it, he will do it because that's who God is. El should I, God Almighty is all powerful. He's our provider, he's our protector, and he's the promise keeper. So in light of that truth, what's our response to him? Well, the call of God for each of us is to trust and surrender. Trust that he is who he says he is, even when our circumstances seem to tell us otherwise. And to surrender our lives to him, not just once but daily, choosing His will over our will and saying, God, use me in my family. Use me at school. Use me at work. May my decisions and my life point other people to you so we can have the confidence that his ways are better than our ways. And the best thing we can do is allow him to lead and guide us daily through anything that we face to seek Him when we feel powerless to come to him daily for the provision that we need and to lean into his protection. When we feel vulnerable, hold onto his promises and trust that in his perfect timing he will fulfill them. Trust and surrender to ELs, shadi, God almighty. And then allow your life to be a testimony of his power, his provision, his protection and his promise keeping when we put our faith in God, he renames us as one of his children and he gives our lives purpose and meaning and sets us on a path to our God-given destiny. Would you stand if you're able, I'd like to pray for you this morning. God, we thank you that you are El Shada, you are God almighty. You are all sufficient. And God, we thank you that we can come to you for anything that we need and you are more than able to accomplish it and to provide it. And so God, we pray over anyone in this room or online or at one of our campuses who are just feeling they need a miracle from you today, there it seems impossible. It seems overwhelming and it just feels like it can't happen. God would the, would you do the impossible in their lives? Would you show up in a way that only you can and do the impossible? And as you accomplish what only you can do, God, would you get all of the glory for that? And God, we also pray for those who are just in need of some provision today. They need something from you, God, would you provide in a miraculous way? Would you show up in their lives? Would you be the God of provision for them? The one who always sustains, always nourishes and always has enough. And God also, we pray for those who are just feeling anxious or feeling overwhelmed and they're feeling vulnerable. God, would you like a shield, protect them? Would they run into your shadow instead of running harder? They would come to you and God, you would shield them and you would, they would find rest in your shadow. And God, we also thank you that we can hold onto your promises that if you said it, you'll do it. And so for those of us who are feeling like these promises are never gonna happen in our lives, God, will we hold onto the truth that if you said it, you'll do it. And you are a good God who loves us and cares for us, and we can trust you with all things and we can surrender our lives to you. We thank you Jesus. You know, maybe you're here today and you've never put your trust and your faith in Jesus. You haven't surrendered your will to him, but you would like to today. I wanna give you an opportunity to do that. Jesus, like I said, he died. He came, he lived a sinless life and he died on the cross so that we could be forgiven and made right with with God, and we can spend eternity with him in heaven. If you'd like to put your faith in Jesus today, would you pray this along with me? Now, Jesus, today I recognize my need for you. I recognize that I've been doing things in my own strength on my own. I'm pursuing my will more than yours, and today I receive the forgiveness that you offer. Thank you for sending Jesus to, to the cross for me so that I can be forgiven. I receive that today and I choose to trust you. I choose to surrender my will to yours, and I wanna make you the center of my life. And I wanna do my best to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for your love and your grace and your mercy. I receive it today in Jesus' name. Amen. You know, if you've prayed that prayer along with me for the first time today, I'm so proud of you for that. That is the best decision you could ever make. And if you're looking for some resources or next steps, I wanna encourage you to scan the QR code in the seat pocket in front of you or up on the screen. Also, if you're here today, you'd like someone to pray with you, our prayer team's gonna be up here at the front and they would love to chat with you and pray with you. So please come and see them if you'd like some prayer today. Otherwise, I wanna thank you for being in church today. It was great to see you. Have a great Sunday and an amazing week ahead everybody. God bless.