I love to hear peoples’ stories, their testimonies on the goodness of God. The other night a lady shared her incredible story. In the early 90’s, she and her husband built a beautiful home in southern Florida. The whole family got involved in this amazing project. When it was done, they were proud and they enjoyed living in it… but, what they didn’t know was that it was temporary. When hurricane Andrew slammed into the Florida coast in 1992, their house was demolished. Gone. Not much could be salvaged. But their family survived. Everyone. Yes, they questioned. Yes, they were discouraged and frustrated. But in their grief, they leaned on God. And He helped them navigate through this terrible storm. They did eventually rebuild. When hurricane Helene roared through western North Carolina a couple years ago, people lost everything. Some people in our church, in our community, were left with only the clothes on their backs.
When David wrote Psalm 16, we don’t know what difficulty he was facing (and we know that he went through a lot), but it seems that he found everything he needed in God as he writes: “LORD, you alone are my inheritance my cup of blessing.” God was enough for him. No matter what was going on… no matter what had been stripped from him, He had enough. He was satisfied. He was content. That didn’t mean that he didn’t cry, he didn’t struggle, or that he didn’t question God. But at the end of the day, he knew that God was enough for him.
This is something that you and I grapple with on a daily basis. There are no guarantees in life. We may lose a lot… it could be our health, our stamina, our job, our position, our spouse, our livelihood. We could face rejection, betrayal, or an unwarranted attack. We may struggle with a “thorn in the flesh” like Paul… something that is causing us great distress. But in that moment, Jesus said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9!” In other words, Paul… am I enough for you? You’re going to be alright, but you must find everything you need in ME and ME alone.
This is a question we need to continually ask ourselves. Is Jesus enough for me? Why is this question important? Because one day something valuable will be stripped from us. And in that moment, will we fall into the arms of Jesus or the arms of someone else? Will we look to Jesus for help or will we look elsewhere? Will we let bitterness arise in us or will we let His joy arise? Let me ask you… Is Jesus enough for you?
You know what David found when he trusted in God alone for his circumstances? When God became enough for him? He found the “joy of His presence!” David continues in Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you.” Oh, my goodness… I can’t think of anything better than that, can you? I can’t think of anything better than knowing the joy of His presence. So, let me ask you again… is Jesus enough for you today? IS HE ENOUGH FOR YOU?