Enough

Rather listen to this blog? Listen to Enough.

When a waiter at an Italian restaurant asks me to tell him/her to stop cranking the cheese over my food when it’s enough, I struggle with when to say, “When!” I’m positive it’s a scientific and medical fact that I’m missing the That’s Enough Cheese receptors in my brain. There can never be enough cheese on my food! In my life, though, I have been on all sides of this question about food, “Have you had enough?” I have been the kind of hungry where a single roll of Smarties candy and half of a Snickers bar for the whole day was not enough, and I have been on the Proverbs 25:16 end, “If you find honey, eat just enough - too much of it, and you will vomit.” But what does Enough mean when speaking of spiritual matters and our relationship with God?

Two strong focuses of Enough in the Bible have to do with quantity and faith, and a command Jesus gives his disciples.

In Exodus, the Israelites were wandering in the desert wondering what they were going to do for food. God heard them and said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions,” (Exodus 16:4). God provided what the Israelites needed each day! He didn’t send them manna in bulk, freeze-dried, or just once. Each day he sent as much as they would need for THAT DAY, EVERY DAY they needed it. However, the Israelites had to follow the instructions to only gather enough for that day. If they tried to horde it for the next day, it would be filled with maggots and smell horrible!

How many times have we not followed God’s instructions, doubting he would do what He said He would do? How many times have we tried to horde the blessing of God for ourselves instead of using it for what God intended it? God’s timing is always perfect, but we often cannot see his timing because we’re too distracted, fearful, or simply greedy. But, when we follow God’s instructions, when we utilize the blessing He’s given us, we see miracles we would have missed.

Consider when Jesus fed the 5,000 from five loaves and two fish. Though they did not understand or even believe they’d be able to feed so many with so little, the disciples followed Jesus’ instructions. Because they did, they were able to not only see a miracle but participate in one! “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’” (John 6:12).

There is a saying - miss the forest for the trees - that can also be applied to God and Enough. Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” We spend far too much time worrying about the future, what MIGHT happen, that we don’t gather our manna for TODAY! God equips us with everything we need for TODAY, including our daily bread. Yet we hoard it and try to save it all up; our best intentions and self-preservation turn to maggots and stink!

I know it’s hard. There is always so much to worry about. But we have a manual, the Bible, to help us navigate how to trust God. We have a book FULL of examples of how those who trusted God were blessed and taken care of beyond measure. Elijah is a perfect example. He is one of the strongest prophets in the Old Testament. A total BEAST who KNEW he worshiped the one true God who was even more powerful than Elijah was. But Elijah got tired. Elijah took his eyes off of God for a moment, and he became weak.

“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep,” (1 Kings 19:3-5).

Elijah was scared and tired, but even amid his human weakness, he had been obedient enough and faithful enough to instinctually go to God in prayer, even though he prayed to die, and then fall asleep! Now that is trust! He knew God would take care of him, and even in weakness praying for death, he slept peacefully knowing God was there and God was in control.

We need to trust God and follow his instructions because He will always provide ENOUGH. Enough is a determiner meaning as much or as many as required. God always gives Enough - but how much do WE give? Do we give enough? Do we give as much or as many as required? That can mean many different things, many different ways, and/or many different times, but always what we give, how much, and when qualifies Enough for us towards Christ. If you haven’t been giving Enough to Christ, I urge you to start now! Each day God gives us Enough manna, Enough opportunities, to trust Him and follow His instructions. This is the command Jesus gave his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed: “Returning the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners,’” (Mark 14:41).

This is a command of action! God gives us Enough each day to put to use to glorify Him, and Jesus gives us a command to get us moving if we’ve fallen asleep. Let us recognize the voice of God Enough to act in faith and obedience Enough to honor Christ’s sacrifice for us.

AMEN