Popular Christian worship song:
"All of You is more than enough for all of me;
For every thirst and every need;
You satisify me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough for me."
For those of you who know me well enough, you know I am often opinionated and critical. I have a lot to learn in this attitude of my heart. Nevertheless, critically thinking is not always something to look down upon. So I hope that what prevails in the following discussion/post is not from a critical, proud spirit, but instead one that is desperately seeking for truth, because such truth gives life; because the conclusion I come to in this quest for understanding is deeply relevant to current events I'm working through in my own life.
Ok, so the above lyrics from Chris Tomlin's song, "Enough", have been ingrained in my mind since childhood. I don't think the actual song was around when I was growing up, but the concept abided still. "God should be enough for all your needs." I am desperately seeking understanding of what exactly that means because I fear I may have been raised under a misunderstanding of this truth. I am hoping you all dear blog-readers of mine can help me understand this accurately. So. I have several questions for you, and should you choose to enter in this discussion, simply select the "comments" link below and add your comment. Or if you don't have a google account and can't post your comments, email me. I'm eager to hear your thoughts!!
What was conveyed in my mind when people told me that is that my relationship with God should satisify every need I have. In my thinking, that as long as I had God in my life, I didn't need anyone else. Seriously! That's what I thought! This translated into: I can rescue my best friend from her suicidal thoughts and eating disorder without being adversely affected, because my relationship with God is strong and vibrant. God is enough for me, so I don't need her or anyone else's support. Umm...looking back and seeing the results of those years of "being there" for her, I'm beginning to question this train of thought. Or at least the application of it.
In college, it translated into believing that I could accomplish sanctification in my relationship with God by myself - I didn't need anyone else.
That thought was trampled upon throughout my time at Biola, so much so that the following verse is one I seriously desire to be engraved on my grave stone: “Take care brethren that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day as long as it is still called Today so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:12-13) Fellowship, community, accountability, those were words that have become an extremely high priority for me.
As I continue to live through this strange stage of loneliness in my life, I am brought to question this original belief from childhood, namely that God should be enough for me. I am beginning to think that while God is the One who supplies for all my needs, He doesn't necessarily do that only through relationship with Himself. He uses a myriad of things to care for our myriad of needs: family, friends, church, etc. (I suppose the primary item in question for me is whether my relationship with God should satisify all my relational needs). My thinking is that perhaps what people were trying to tell me all along growing up was that it is God I am to look for to supply my needs, rather than trying to take care of my needs myself, but that God will meet those needs through a variety of resources.
So, dear friends. Here are my questions - please, please reply, to one, to all! :) I am eager to hear your thoughts!
1. Where in Scripture does this idea originate from? What does it really mean that "man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"?
2. What exactly does it mean that "God is enough"? What is this Chris Tomlin song talking about in truth?
3. Should our relationship with God satisify all our relational needs?
4. If in heaven there is no marriage, and no physical sun (since God Himself will be our light) does that mean that His eternal, perfect presence really will satisify all our needs?
5. If that is the case, are we meant to strive for that type of existence here on earth in the midst of all the imperfection around us and in us? Is it God's goal as part of our sanctification to arrive at a place of complete fulfillment of all our needs through our relationship with Him? If so, what does that look like?
I am obviously a very confused soul! Give it some thought. Tell me what you think.
And thanks for reading my blog! :)
-Cynthe
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3 comments:
Hi, Cynthe, yes, I finally got caught up on your blog :)
Your understanding of God being all you need is one that is commonly misunderstood. Yes, God is all you need, but He created the world, and us, and He made us with a need for others - thus His command to us as fellow-believers to love one another, and His statement that "by this will men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." God is one person in three, and while we can never really comprehend that in its infinity, our love for one another in some way demonstrates it. The marriage relationship is one example - the two become one. But the church itself is one body - and we cannot function without the other members of the body. We really do need each other, and that's the way God designed it to be. Our various levels of intimacy with each other (body of Christ, friends, family, spouses) are not only gifts from God, but part of His plan to meet our needs and to show His love in this weary world.
I think you have actually figured out how it is. (c: I agree with dmmac. I believe that when all things fall away, or things fall apart, God Himself is enough for us, to sustain us. BUT, it is sweet to have fellowship with others and carry one another's burdens. And encourage one-another as the verse you cited says. So asking God for provision for needs we have, and trusting His faithfulness in meeting those needs seems to me to be the way to go, eh? Mind you, I don't abide by this half as well as I ought, but I do think that is how it is.
Ok, finally...here are my answers to the ones I did answer...
2. What exactly does it mean that "God is enough"? What is this Chris Tomlin song talking about in truth?
"God is enough" seems to be the "contemporary" way of speaking about God's sufficiency, meaning that there is nothing man can need that is outside of God. As the Creator, He has made us with needs and He has created the fulfillment of those needs, from eating to salvation.
Usually I think this phrase is used to refer to the way in which God supplies for our emotional needs. Now the song seems to imply that this is direct, but it can also be indirect. The tension between these two seems to be your conundrum.
3. Should our relationship with God satisify all our relational needs?
No. If this were the case, God would not have created Eve. God walked and talked face to face with man at this time, yet He still said, "It is not good for man to be alone."
4. If in heaven there is no marriage, and no physical sun (since God Himself will be our light) does that mean that His eternal, perfect presence really will satisify all our needs?
Yes. Do I know how this will work? No. Do I have to? If the answer to this question was yes, I think God would have told us. Since He has only given us prophecy that will be made clear once heaven comes, I think it is safe to say the answer is no. But that prophecy, also by its existance, does mean that God does not want us to be ignorant of those who sleep. So think, ponder, even ruminate on the not yet, but never let it ensnare, detract or distort the now.
5. If that is the case, are we meant to strive for that type of existence here on earth in the midst of all the imperfection around us and in us? Is it God's goal as part of our sanctification to arrive at a place of complete fulfillment of all our needs through our relationship with Him? If so, what does that look like?
Heaven will be different from earth. It is not such a stretch to say that the way life is lived in each is supposed to be different as well. See your fourth question. If Christ intended our life of following Him on earth to be the same as it will be in heaven, might He not have abolished marriage for believers or blotted out the sun?
-J
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