Over the past few weeks, many of us have gone through numerous difficulties and hardships. After my father’s stay in the hospital during the Thanksgiving holiday, I truly believed that the difficulty was behind us. However, that could not have been further from the truth.

Two days after Christmas, I rushed my mom to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. She couldn’t eat or go to the bathroom at all. It was such a terrifying experience, not just for her but for all of us who love her. Realizing this was going to be a difficult time, I sent out a massive prayer request to everyone on Facebook. Family, friends, churches, and all of our acquaintances started praying on our behalf. Needless to say, God was certainly kept busy.

After 9 days in the hospital, my mom wasn’t getting any better. No matter how many tubes and IV’s were visible, she seemed to be going downhill quickly. As I kept everyone up-to-date on Facebook, the prayers continued fervently. The more that was happening to mom, the more we all talked and prayed to God. When the doctor pulled me into the hallway to give me the “terminal” diagnosis, I was devastated. Mom has always been in great shape but for whatever reason, her health was failing now. When I walked back into mom’s room, she knew something had happened and wanted to know. I have never been good in keeping my composure under these circumstances, but for her sake, I couldn’t tell her quite yet. She was about to go into a surgical procedure and there was no way I was going to give her that type of information. She agreed that we would talk later.

Once mom pulled through the surgery and became coherent, I decided to let her know the diagnosis. We have always been close and don’t keep secrets from one another. The past three years have been quite difficult and we promised to tell each other everything so all decisions could be made together. Before I told her the diagnosis, we prayed together. Once the “amen” was said, I proceeded to tell her. Her very first words were “the doctors don’t have the final say, God does and I have way too many things to accomplish and it’s not my time yet.” She is determined to see her new great grandbaby that is due in May 2016. We both agreed to move forward day by day and surrender it to God.

The following morning, her other two specialist doctors came into her room. Being as distraught I was the previous day, I forgot to ask some major questions about how long they thought she had and where we go from here. When mom and I asked her specialist doctors for specifics, they both were shocked that we were given such a diagnosis. They both agreed that we might have a long road in front of us with treatments but mom is a fighter and they were not willing to give such a diagnosis. The surgery had gone well and they were willing to fight along side her until she was better. Needless to say, the weight came off our shoulders immediately and there was no question in our minds that God was working in our lives. We quickly told Satan to get behind us because we aren’t playing these games with him.

Just two days later, I brought mom home from the hospital. A nurse visited and things are going much better. She still has tubes in some bodily functions but every single day, she is eating, growing stronger, getting ancie, and moving around a bit. We have our first doctor’s appointments this week but I can tell you that she has done a 360 degree turn from the moment she heard the diagnosis. It was God who was working through her. From just a few days ago being told she was dying to seeing her walking, talking, eating and just becoming herself again…there is no other way it was possible if God had not intervened on our behalfs.

So why am I telling you all this? It just so happens that this week’s study was going to be on God’s name –  El Shaddai and my family has experienced it firsthand. I am a firm believer that there are no coincidences and it’s God alone that guides our way.

The first occurrence of El Shaddai is in Gen. 17:1 when God is giving Abraham the sign of His covenant with him. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am the Sovereign God.’”

In Jacob’s farewell address in Gen. 49:25 Jacob makes a connection between the title of El Shaddai and the promises of blessings of the breast and womb, which is a word play between Shaddai and shad (breast). “…because of the Sovereign God, who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.

El Shaddai is such a powerful title of our Loving Father. The meaning of El Shaddai speaks of power and strength. It also refers to God completely nourishing, satisfying and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. God freely gives us all good things because He is our sustainer. There is absolutely no coincidence that mom’s condition was directly related to our writing this week.

God wants us all complete, whole and restored…fully with nothing missing and nothing broken!!! So when you are faced with the unfaceable things of this world…SURRENDER IT TO HIM and REMEMBER…GOD IS ALL POWERFUL, ALL LOVING, and IS THE CREATOR OF THIS UNIVERSE. Nothing is too hard for Him! He freely gives to those who love Him, to those who trust Him and to those who are willing to surrender to Him!

This week I ask all of you to Surrender to Him ~ Walk in faith ~ Talk with God ~ And Walk Boldly Everyday! He will see you through your darkest hours and you will be prosperous in every area of your life! His name guarantees it and what He does for one, He will do for all!

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