Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

El-Shaddai A lot of God's names are a combination of the word El (a generic term for God) and another word that goes into a deeper and more specific facet of who He is. That's what we have here as the Lord tells Moses that He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, or literally, El-Shaddai.

The word El speaks for itself. We've already seen that it's a general name identifying God. But now let's take a closer look at its companion word, Shaddai. What does it mean, exactly?

Two schools of thought prevail when it comes to the origin of this word. One is that it comes from a combination of the Hebrew word she, which means "who," and another Hebrew word, day, which means "enough." Put the two together and you get she-day (or Shaddai), which communicates the idea of "one who is enough" or "He who is all sufficient."

There's another school of thought that says Shaddai comes from the word sadu, which literally means "mountain." This is an interesting theory because in ancient times mountains were often used as the ultimate example of something that was powerful and permanent. Think about it: There was nothing in their physical world greater than the mountains. And so we can see the connection between their greatness and God's greatness.



Either way, the name El-Shaddai represents God's all-powerfulness. He is the God who is always enough for every occasion. He is the God whose might is reflected by the mountains. He is the God who is above all and who outlasts all. He is God Almighty, El-Shaddai. And those who are His-no matter how weak or small they may be-can take refuge and comfort in His almighty arms.

Put the two together and you get she-day (or Shaddai), which communicates the idea of "one who is enough" or "He who is all sufficient."



Think about it...

What does this passage reveal to me about God?

What does this passage reveal to me about myself?

Based on this, what changes do I need to make?

What is my prayer for today?