May 20, 2016
I AM is the God Who Fills in Your Gaps
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14 NIV).
Friend to Friend
In the very first Rocky movie, the Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa, very eloquently encourages his demure girlfriend, Adrian. “I got gaps. You got gaps. Together we got no gaps.”
But Rocky got it all wrong. He’s got gaps. Adrian’s got gaps. And no person alive is going to fill those gaps. God is the only One who can fill our gaps. And I’d go so far as to say that He is the One who gave us those gaps so that He can fill them. He is the great I AM who fills our gaps and fills in our blanks.
When we say, “I’m not good enough.”
God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I’m not smart enough.”
God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I'm not strong enough.”
God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I’m not ________ enough.”
God says, “I AM.”
He is the God who fills in our gaps. He is the God who fills in our blanks.
I’ve often heard it said there is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, that cannot be filled by another created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote: “[God] said to me . . . for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9, AMPC).
Paul knew what he could accomplish on his own: nothing. Oh, he could be busy. We all can do that. But bearing “fruit that will remain” is another story. This is how he viewed his own personal weaknesses:
I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.”
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become (2 Cor. 12:7–10, MSG).
Paul had great confidence. The prefix “con” means “with,” and the root “fid” means “faith.” So a confident person is one who walks in faith. When you allow God to fill in your gaps with His power and provision, you will have the confidence and courage to leave the limpid land of in-between and march into the Promised Land of life to the full!
That’s where I want to go today. Where I want to live. How about you? If you’re ready to stop wandering around in the wilderness of indecision and start moving forward to take hold of your Promised Land of life to the full, click over to my Facebook page and say, “I’m taking hold!”
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, I have gaps, and I am so thankful that You are the great I AM who fills in those gaps. You fill in my insufficiency with Your all-sufficiency. You fill in my inadequacy with Your all-supply. You fill in my pain with Your healing purpose. Today, I will walk in faith with con-fid-ence.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
- Are you depending on an earthly relationship to fill in your gaps? A husband? A boyfriend? A child?
- If so, how is that working for you?
- What do you need to change in your life to allow God to fill in your gaps rather than other people?
More From the Friends
Today’s devotion was taken from my new book, Take Hold of the Faith you Long For: Let Go, Move Forward, Live Bold. A mediocre, mundane faith is not what you were made for! In Take Hold of the Faith You Long For, I reveal the most common reasons we get stuck in our Christian faith, living less than what we had hoped. I show you how to break free of all that holds you back, move forward with all that God promises, and live the adventurous faith of bold believing. It’s time to leave behind feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy that hold you hostage and take hold of the mountain-moving faith God intends. Let’s uncover untapped sources of confidence and courage, and see how to move from simply knowing the truth to actually living it out boldly. It’s time to TAKE HOLD of all that Jesus has already taken hold of for you and placed in you! Click on the book cover to download a sample chapter and view a quick video. And if you’re looking for a new study for your women’s group or individual study, Take Hold includes a Bible Study guide in the back. Also, you’ll find out about some free gifts with each purchase.
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Originally published Friday, 20 May 2016.