Genesis 17:1-2 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."

After 24 years of waiting on the promise of the Lord, Abram (Abraham) once again hears the voice of the Lord say..."I will greatly increase your numbers." Really God? I'm 99 and my wife is 89. We have NO children. Even when I tried to make this promise come true, it backfired (Ishmael and Hagar have caused some real turmoil.) Now, God, you tell me AGAIN that you will greatly increase my numbers?

How would you respond if you were Abraham? But notice how God defines himself: God Almighty, the Hebrew is El Shaddai. This is the first time God reveals himself as El Shaddai. El is a prefix for Lord. Shaddai comes from the root Bosom. The best translation I have heard is that El Shaddai is the "All Sufficient One". In the bosom of the Lord we find provision, comfort, protection, life! God tells Abraham, I am fully capable of bring forth my promise. I am the All Sufficient One.

Equally important is the instruction the Lord has for Abraham: Walk before me and be blameless. Abe, you're not responsible to make this promise come to reality (you tried that with Ishmael and that didn't work out so well.) I am capable of bringing forth my promise to you. All I ask of you is to walk before me and be blameless.

Now that sounds easy. But in reality, often we'd rather try to make it happen than walk it out in righteousness (rightly aligned with God). In fact, walking it out blamelessly is so hard that Abraham asks God for an alternative. Look ahead in the story a couple verses. Genesis 17:17-18 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"

Abraham responds to God's instruction by saying, I'm too tired Lord. I'm too tired of believing in a promise for which I see absolutely no progress nor any potential of it coming forth.
How God? How can you be El Shaddai in this one? Then Abraham makes this appeal, won't you simply bless my best effort - I'll be satisfied with that.

Have you been there? Have you believed for the impossible so long that you don't have the strength to believe any longer? Have you in desperation asked God to simply bless your best effort so that you can be unburdened from the weight of the promise? But there is a difference between God's provision to you, and his Promise for you. God in his mercy will always provide, but God in his all-sufficiency (El Shaddai) will birth his promise. For example, God's provision to the nation of Israel was manna for 40 years in the desert. God's promise was the Promised Land! There is a great difference between manna in the desert and flowing milk and honey in the promised land.

The story of Abraham continues with the Lord saying that he would surely bless Ishmael. He would become a nation and be the father of many leaders. But, the Lord's promise, destiny, and favor will be upon Isaac. The Lord said, I am El Shaddai. I will accomplish this. Your part is the walk before me and be blameless.

Be encouraged. God will always provide for you, but the promises that he has put in your mind and heart are his destiny for you. Ask him to be El Shaddai. Tell him you believe in his all-sufficiency. Tell him you believe he can and will birth those promises. Walk before him, and with his help and through Jesus, be blameless in your walk. Then you will walk right into the promises he has for you.