Have you ever run out of anything? Energy? Time? Money? Even though we may try to convince ourselves otherwise, we have a diminishing supply of everything. Without sleep, we will not have energy. Without gas, our vehicle will not run. Without food, we will waste away. Without money, we cannot pay our bills.
While we are dependent beings, God is self-existent – He never runs out. He has an infinite supply. In his book The Power of God’s Names Tony Evans says, “God is the only truly independent being in the universe because He is the only being who is self-generating.” Think about that. God is completely self-sufficient. He is not dependent on anyone or anything. He never changes. He never runs out of energy.
The Hebrew name for God, Jehovah, is the self-revealing name of God. The name Jehovah speaks to God’s person, His character, and His desire to relate to His creation personally. The same God who existed before time began wants to know us personally.
God’s name Jehovah shows us that God desires relationship with us. When we are in relationship with God we connect into His supply. Since God has everything, He can provide for every need. And He is never without.
Recently I was reading in the Psalms, and a few verses stood out to me, “From men with Your hand, O LORD, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your treasure. They are satisfied with children and leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” (-Psalm 17:14-15 NASB)
When we see LORD in all capitals, this is an indication the word is translated for the Hebrew for Jehovah. In these verses, we see Jehovah compared to the “portion in this life.” We either look for this world to fill us or we look to God to fill us. The thing about when we look for our reward in this life is that it will always fall short. It may give us a short-term sense of satisfaction but in the long run everything we gain will be lost. It will be used up or absorbed by someone else. True satisfaction is only found in Jehovah. Why? Because Jehovah is self-existent. Out of His abundance, He provides for us. Out of His character, He molds and shapes us. Out of His endless strength, He upholds us.
When we turn to this world for solutions and satisfaction we will always be looking for more. The supply will always run out. We will always need more. But when we turn to Jehovah, we are fully supplied and lack nothing. This does not mean we have everything we want, or even everything we think we need. It means we are supplied with the internal and the eternal. It means we have access to the character, power, and strength of God. It means we have everything God knows we need. It means that our greatest need, the need for relationship with Him is fulfilled.
Think about your life. What are you depending on to meet your needs? Are you looking for your “portion” in the things and people around you? Or are you looking to Jehovah, the only one who can truly satisfy?