When God Is All You Have

When God Is All You Have

We begin today with a prayer that we will grow in God's knowledge and become all He intends us to be. Our message today centers on total dependence: When God is all you have.

The psalmist David beautifully expresses this dependence, asking:

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You."

David continues, "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." He recognizes that when all else fails, God remains his constant.

Life's Inevitable Realities

How many of us know that things happen? And things will happen in the journey of life. It is inevitable that we face challenges that can shake our foundations.

Extreme Financial Ruin

This occurs when bills pile up, jobs are lost, and all resources are exhausted. You might have savings that are depleted, leaving you with nothing.

Intense Grief or Loss

When a loved one passes away, it leaves a void that no human comfort can fill. In such moments of deep sorrow, only God can truly comfort the heart.

Uncertainty or Fear

Moments of deep paralysis and anxiety can arise when you cannot see a way forward. Questions like, "Do I have a future?" can consume us, especially in a world full of unknowns.

Isolation and Loneliness

There are times when you feel unseen, unloved, or completely alone in a situation, even when surrounded by others. This feeling of profound solitude can be overwhelming.

Physical or Emotional Exhaustion

When you have no more strength to give, you must rely solely on divine strength to carry on. Our human reserves are finite, but God's strength is endless.

Failed Self-Reliance

You have tried everything humanly possible in your own strength, but nothing is working. These moments reveal the limits of our own abilities.

Major Life Transitions

When familiar support systems – home, job, community – are removed, it forces a total reliance on God. These transitions are not just changes, but opportunities for deeper trust.

God: Our Refuge and Strength

In these moments of crisis, God is often described not just as a back-up plan, but as our refuge and strength. As children of God, we should never see Him as merely an alternative, but as our primary source of help.

The Illusion of Self-Sufficiency

The problem is we often rely on things like our health, finances, relationships, or reputation as our "all." We believe these things will always be there, but they are illusions of stability.

Trials, losses, or desperation often reveal that these things are temporary and fleeting. They will not always last. David, even as a king, understood that his true sufficiency was in God alone.

"You never know God is all you need until God is all you have."

There will be times when people you trust will fail you miserably. It is in these moments that you realize God is all you have, and your sufficiency is in Him alone.

God is our refuge and strength. When the earth gives way, God remains an everlasting present help. He provides the faith and strength we need for the journey. God is enough.

Learning to Depend on God

If God is all you have, you have all you need. We must learn to depend on Him, not on things around us. This means:

• Surrender your control: Stop trying to fix everything yourself. Let God take over.
• Deepen your relationship: Use challenging times to seek Him wholeheartedly.
• Shift your perspective: View struggles as opportunities to experience God's power in your weakness.

A Scriptural Example: David in the Wilderness

In Psalm 63, David was going through a profound experience. As recorded in 2 Samuel 13-15, his son Absalom rose up against him, bitter over an injustice, and ultimately overthrew David's throne. David had to flee for his life, mocked and isolated.

In that place of desperation, David knew God was all he had. He cried out:

"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water."

Even in the wilderness, far from the temple, David declared, "So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory." He understood that regardless of his circumstances, God was still with him and for him.

Another Example: The Woman with the Issue of Blood

This woman had spent everything on doctors, and her situation only worsened. She heard about Jesus and purposed in her heart: "If I can just but touch the hem of His garment, I know I will be made whole." She found the strength to press through the crowd and encounter Jesus.

This is why we must mark up strength and encounter Jesus. Don't give up. Don't let the world or your circumstances tell you it's over. There is still hope if you depend and trust in Jesus, just as Job declared, "I know my Redeemer lives."

When God is all you have, no matter how life turns against you, you know there is hope. He is your strength, your refuge. He will never let you down. "When your mother and your father forsake you, then the Lord will pick you up." He never leaves or forsakes you.

A Lesson from Israel

God taught Israel for 40 years in the wilderness the very same lesson: total dependence on Him. "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of His mouth." He is our Father, provider, way maker, and healer.

Storms will come, even when sailing smoothly. This is not the time to turn your back on God or get discouraged. It is an opportunity to deepen your relationship, to say: "Father, I know You've been drawing my attention to go deeper with You, and I will use this experience to trust You more."

Restoration and Victory

Just as things turned around for David – Absalom was defeated, and David was brought back to the throne – so too can things turn around for you when you trust God. Despite the wickedness he faced, David's trust led to his restoration.

Trust Him When God Is All You Have

I encourage you: when God is all you have, trust Him. No matter how bad things become, know that God will see you through. Don't give up on serving God, even when storms hit and others seem to prosper. God will never leave you or forsake you.