How Much of God is Enough? By Gilbert Rowell
I want the warmth of the womb, not a rebirth. I want a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I’d like to buy about three dollars worth of God, please.” We have all probably thought similar thoughts before – enough of God to be comfortable, but not enough to upset
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my ease or make people wonder if I’ve got a screw loose. Well, that’s a somewhat humorous attempt to answer the question. But have you ever seriously thought about how much of God is enough? You see, we humans are somewhat fickle when it comes to just how far we are willing o go with God. In good
times, we’d prefer if God would keep His distance. Success in our world is measured by human achievement, and if God gets too much of the credit, then people begin to wonder if we’re necessary at all – not to speak of the fact that they think something is mentally wrong with you because you talk about God all the time. But let the good times fall on hard times (kind of like now), and then we want God to be our co-pilot (for the truly Reformed, it would be our pilot). In hard times, we don’t want God at arm’s length, we want Him to be shoulder to shoulder with us. In hard times, we can’t pray enough; go to church enough; volunteer to sing in the choir; teach Junior Highs; even pray out loud – enough! Since success in challenging times is hard to come by, we figure having God nearby will enhance our chances. So,
how much of God is enough? That’s the question the psalmist asked and answered in Psalm 13. Well, not that exact question. His concern was
that God was not around when he needed Him. He asked, “How long will you hide your face from me?” It seems the psalmist was in some kind of distress and in dire need of God, and felt that God was not with him and didn’t seem to care that he might be about to die. If his enemies were successful, he felt they would
gloat at his downfall. But then, in verse five, the tone of the psalmist changes abruptly – he realized God had already come to his rescue. God’s steadfast love and salvation were already his, and all he had left to do was rejoice in God’s bountiful good- ness to him. He realized that God’s love and salva- tion trumps any hard time we suffer in this life, and he could rejoice in the provision God had made and offered him. How much of God is enough? When God has given
you His love and salvation, the ever-present presence and power of His Holy Spirit, the assurance of a home in Heaven with Him forever, what more is there? He is just waiting for you to rejoice and sing of His bounti- ful goodness to you. Are you singing??
Rev. Gilbert Rowell was pastor of Providence ARP Church in Gastonia, NC, until his death in 2012. This article was filed in a folder at the office of The ARP Magazine and used with permission from his wife, Robin.
March/April 2022
ave you ever wondered, “How much of God is enough?” I’m reminded of what someone once wrote, “I’d like to buy three dollars’ worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I want ecstasy, not transformation.
HOW LONG, LORD? WI L L YOU FORGET ME FOREVER?
HOW LONG WI L L YOU HIDE YOUR FACE FROM ME?
HOW LONG MUST I WRESTLE WITH MY THOUGHTS
AND DAY AFTER DAY HAVE SORROW IN MY HEART?
HOW LONG WI L L MY ENEMY TRIUMPH OVER ME?
LOOK ON ME AND ANSWER, LORD MY GOD.
GIVE L IGHT TO MY EYES, OR I WI L L SLEEP IN DEATH,
AND MY ENEMY WI L L SAY, “I HAVE OVERCOME HIM,”
AND MY FOES WI L L REJOICE WHEN I FAL L .
BUT I TRUST IN YOUR UNFAI L ING LOVE; MY HEART REJOICES IN YOUR SALVATION.
I WI L L SING THE LORD’S PRAISE, FOR HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME.
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Psalm 13
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