Month: May 2021

The first place in scripture that this name appears is in Isaiah. 

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

Immanuel is a Hebrew compound word. The word Immanu means “with us” and El as we know means God. In Isaiah this was a prophecy given to Ahaz who was King of Judah who was wicked and worshipping other gods to the point of even sacrificing his own son to Molech. From what I read in my study there was immediate meaning given to this prophecy as well as future meaning of the birth of Jesus to this prophecy. And you can see that in the previous verse. 

“And he said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?” Isaiah 7:13 

The prophecy was for Ahaz. There would be a near fulfillment in Ahaz’s lifetime as there would be a child born in his kingdom that would be named Immanuel and during that time there would be an attack from Israel and Syria. The name Immanuel and it’s meaning was a rebuke to Ahaz who did not put his trust in God but feared his enemies. 

But our concern at this time is the far fulfillment of this prophecy. This was a prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus!! This was the best baby reveal of all time! This prophecy was addressed to the House of David. We know that Jesus was from the lineage of David so with the language “O house of David” we can see that this was not just for Ahaz but for all. It also speaks of the virgin birth and we know that only happened once. It would still take hundreds of years but He was coming. Commentary I read said it best. 

“Immanuel speaks both of the deity of Jesus (God with us) and His identification and nearness to man (God with us).

Before Jesus was born of a virgin, God spoke to His people through prophets and a few chosen people, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, to name just a few. We know that there was a Holy of Holies in the temple and the Priest could only enter there once a year and had to be completely purified of all sin before He did so. God’s presence was felt by only a chosen few. But with the birth of Jesus, Immanuel was born and became God with us! Jesus dwelt among ALL people when He had His earthly ministry. He dined with sinners and saints alike. No longer did we have to wait for a prophet or for the priest to go into the temple to meet with God. Then after Jesus death and resurrection we were ALL left with the Holy Spirit so that we can all have Immanuel, God with us all the time!  How exciting is that! I can be so guilty at times of wanting a burning bush or a pillar of cloud because I think I just don’t know which direction to turn. But truthfully, I like having Him in my heart and knowing His voice in my head much better. I am so grateful that God is with me always and that I don’t have to wait for someone else to speak to me about what God has to say! 

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’” 1 Samuel 17:45

When David defeated Goliath he did it in the name of the Lord of Hosts, not with the might of men but with the might of God!  David defeated Goliath with nothing more than a staff, a sling and five smooth stones in a pouch. If you know the story, then you know that Saul tried to clothe David in his armor. 

“Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot go with these for I have not tested them.’ So David put them off.” 1 Samuel 17:38-39

Man’s might and man’s armor has limitations. In some ways it may protect you but it will never protect like God’s armor and it’s bulky and heavy and makes it hard to fight. In Ephesians we see Paul encouraging us to put on the whole armor of God. 

“Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12

Now these verses may not specifically mention Jehovah Sabaoth, but it is talking of battles that take place in the spiritual realm and putting on the armor of God. So in my mind as I studied Jehovah Sabaoth, and kept looking at God as the Lord of Hosts, the commander of the angel armies these verses in Ephesians came to mind over and over. This is the only way for us to join the fight with the Lord of Hosts! Spiritual warfare is taking place all around us as long as we are on earth. In order to be victorious in this warfare we must put on the armor of God. 

Which is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, take up the shield of faith, make sure we have on our helmet of our salvation, and have the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. (Eph. 6:13-17) That’s our battle clothes to join with the Lord of Hosts in spiritual battles. 

There is another Old Testament story that gives a picture of spiritual battles. In 2 Kings chapter 6 Elisha was a prophet of Israel and the king of Syria sent his army to seize him because Elisha would speak against him to the king of Israel. So the Syrian Army surrounded the city where Elisha was and Elisha’s servant rose early in the morning and saw them. There were horses and chariots surrounding the city. The servant was frightened and asked Elisha what do we do. 

“He said, ‘Do not be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:16-17

Do you find yourself in a spiritual battle today? Or is someone you love in a spiritual battle? Pray to the God of Hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth to open your eyes so that you can see Him as He fights for you. Ask Him to open the eyes of the person you are praying for. We may not see horses and chariots of fire, but if you pray for God to show you where He is working, I believe He will show you. Strap on that armor, take up the sword and fight, but not with man’s armor, fight with God’s armor. Make sure you have your helmet of your salvation, the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness will protect you and take up the shield of faith and your sword of truth and fight. And walk in peace my friend. The battle is the Lord’s. 

The word “host” in this context means army or organized group. So this term for God is most often used in a military context. It is used 486 times in scripture and most often has to do with warfare, armies or fighting. Jehovah Sabaoth is the Lord of Hosts and has a heavenly army to work on our behalf. 

One of the first times that it is used in scripture though is in 1 Samuel chapter 1. I love the tenderness of this story. There is a woman named Hannah and she is married to a man named Elkanah who had another wife as well, Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children but Hannah did not. So when the three would travel to Shiloh to worship and bring sacrifices, Elkanah would give portions to Peninnah to sacrifice for her and her children, Hannah would get a double portion because Elkanah loved her, even though she had no children. But Peninnah would taunt and make fun of Hannah because she had no children. This happened year after year and Hannah would be heartbroken all over again and reduced to tears. Elkanah could not understand, he would try to comfort her and probably in his own way let her know he loved her with or without children but poor Hannah was desperate. 

So one time while in Shiloh after they had worshipped, after Peninnah had taunted and after they had eaten Hannah went to the temple and she prayed and she wept and she cried out to God. 

“She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’” 1 Samuel 1:10-11

When Hannah cried to the Lord of Hosts, she was crying for the God of the armies. She had probably prayed a prayer for a child many times before but this time she was crying out in desperation. She needed the God of Angel armies to fight on her behalf this time. 

Have you ever gotten so to the end of your rope that you didn’t know what else to pray? This is when to pray to Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Hosts. Hannah was desperate, she was at the end of herself on this matter. She was already heartbroken and she was dealing with Elkanah’s other wife who rubbed it in, and her husband didn’t understand. She knew that her only hope was in God alone. This is when the spiritual warfare comes in and when she knew she needed to know our commander in chief – Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Hosts. 

In looking for references to God as El Olam in scripture it led me to one of my favorite Old Testament passages. 

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

Another meaning for Olam is time. So when you hear this name of God it teaches us that God created time, yet God exists outside of and beyond time. God was here before time began, He always has been, He always is, and He always will be. What an awesome thought that the same God who parted the red sea for the Israelites to walk across, the one who brought fire down from heaven to ignite a very wet sacrifice for Elijah on Mount Carmel and the same God who sent His son to be born of a virgin and to die on a cross for our sins is the same God we worship today. He may not do miraculous signs and wonders the same way that he used to do them, but He could if He wanted to. And don’t you mistake that if you look for Him, he does and He will work on your behalf. 

When this writer wrote this, He was recognizing God as Creator, He is the Everlasting God to the ends of the earth and He is always there. He doesn’t faint or grow weary. Take comfort in that. No matter how much we think He may be tiring of us bringing the same old same old to Him, He isn’t. He knows, He understands. 

And because of His understanding, He gives us the strength even when our stuff is exhausting us, He will give the strength to go on and to face the day, each day. 

The last verse of this passage has always been a favorite. Although to me it may have seemed a little backward. 

“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

I would think you would walk, then run, then fly. But my favorite commentator put it this way: 

“First, we recognize that we soar up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Then we set ourselves on the course to run the race. Then we are in the good place to walk the walk.” ~ David Guzik (Blue Letter Bible)

When the race gets hard and the way is exhausting, we have no other choice but to get with God and soar into heavenly places with Him and let Him set our feet on a path so we can walk this thing out. After all, He is everlasting and eternal and He created time, yet it doesn’t exist in Him. Because He created time and can see into time, He knows when and where the end of your struggle will come so it only makes sense to let Him help you walk it out! 

We know that El means God. Olam means eternity, forever or everlasting, so when put together El Olam means Everlasting God. 

The first time this appears in scripture is in Genesis 21:33. In this story Abraham had settled near Abimelech the Philistine King. Abimelech had taken note that God was blessing Abraham and that God was with him in everything he did so Abimelech comes to Abraham to say “hey please don’t do bad things to us. We can tell God is with you so let’s be nice to each other.” Abraham agreed, however there had apparently already been some disputes among the servants concerning some wells that had been dug and who they belonged to. Abimelech told Abraham, he didn’t know of it until “today”. So Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant with each other and used all kinds of animal sacrifices to seal their covenant. Abimelech then went home assured that Abraham and his men would play nice with his people. Then: 

“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” Genesis 21:33-34

Abraham dealt with many conflicts and good times and bad times in his own family as well as with the people around him. But Abraham kept in close relationship with God regardless of what was going on. Sometimes the relationships we have with others can be challenging but at the forefront of our lives our relationship with God should always be paramount. If we can keep that relationship in tact, He will direct our steps to navigate our family relationships, our work relationships, our friend relationships and our church relationships. Abraham was recognizing that when he planted the tree and called on El Olam, His Everlasting God. It was a way to acknowledge God!

We have an enemy who is prowling around looking to destroy our relationships and our families, he is after our lives. And if he can’t have us in eternity, he will do what he can to destroy our life on earth. But we also have an Everlasting God, who never changes, He is the same today, as He was yesterday and He is the same today as He will be tomorrow. He is the one constant in our life that we can always depend on. I don’t know about you but I need constant, I need something to be unchanging. That is where my dependence on God comes in. He is eternal! He is everlasting! He is forever! Come what may and whatever rocks my world if I cling to Him, I can make it through this day and look forward to my tomorrows! 

Remember Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Also remember that Isaac was the son of Abraham. Remember that Jacob cheated Esau out of his birth right and received the blessing as the first born from Isaac even though it was Esau who should have gotten it.

So Rebekah sent Jacob to live near her brother Laban to hopefully find a wife. Along the way, Jacob stopped to sleep and he has an encounter with God. God spoke to him in a dream. Jacob recognized that it was God who was speaking to him, but Jacob also shows in his language that while he knows who God is, he has not really made Him his God.

“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me great to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.’” Genesis 28:20-21

Notice the words “if” and “then.” Jacob was bargaining with God. God if you do this, then you will be my God. Now before we go shaking our spiritual heads at that, think back. Has there ever been a time that you may have said the same. “God if you do this, I’ll follow you?”  Ouch, I know I have. 

God did bless Jacob and gave him two wives and many children and he blessed him while he was with his Uncle Laban with wealth. God continued to chase after Jacob even in all of the deception and the lies and the half heartedness of Jacob. Not because of who Jacob was but because of who God is. 

Fast forward, eventually Jacob desires reconciliation to his brother Esau. So Jacob decides to return home. (There is a whole lot to the story that falls between chapters 28 and 33 of Genesis.) Along the way, Jacob begins to take a shift in his prayers and he finally stops bargaining with God, but he begins seeking God. He still acknowledges God as the God of his fathers but he is at least beginning to acknowledge the blessings he has received because of who God is. 

“And Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that yo have shown to your servant.” Genesis 32:9-10

Jacob is working a plan to gain favor with his brother Esau and one night he lays down to rest again, but instead of rest he wrestled with an angel fo Lord all night long. 

“Then he (the Angel of the Lord) said, ‘Let me go for the day has broken’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”

Have you ever felt like you were in a wrestling match with God? The good thing about a wrestling match with God is there is purpose and that purpose is not to harm you but it is to set you in your right place. Jacob, Israel had wrestled with God and he had wrested with men and yet he had prevailed. And in this wrestling God had finally become the God of Jacob. 

“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.’” Genesis 32:30

Jacob goes on to meet Esau and they have a beautiful reunion in chapter 33, then Jacob finally arrived in Shechem, in the land of Canaan and he pitched his tent. 

“There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.” Genesis 33:20

Finally Jacob, Israel can call God his God, not just the God of his fathers. But since he knew God face to face, he finally had a relationship with Him and Jacob knew Him as the Holy one of Israel. His personal God! Just like he can be mine and your personal God too. 

“by the God (El) of your father who will help you, by the Almighty (Shaddai) who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” Genesis 49:25

The passage above is the blessing that Jacob was giving to his son Joseph while on his deathbed. We know that Joseph and Benjamin were the sons that Jacob loved the most because they were sons he shared with Rachel whom he loved more deeply. That love was possibly more compounded in Jacob because Joseph was the son he thought he had lost. He wanted Joseph to know the strength, the blessings and the sufficiency of El Shaddai. 

Shaddai is mentioned in the Bible 48 times. Seven times it is mentioned as El Shaddai with five of those being in the book of Genesis. Then in the book of Job Shaddai is mentioned 31 times. You know the book of Job has always seemed to me to be about the pain and suffering of Job. For years I almost couldn’t read it at all because of the sadness and the pain of it. But the more I have read it and studied it, the more I have come to realize the book is more about the sovereignty of God than it is the suffering of Job. 

In the book of Job Shaddai is used in many references. 

He is the God who chastens men. (Job 5:17; 6:4; 23:16; 27:2)

He is a just God. (Job 8:3; 34:10). 

God hears prayer. (Job 8:5; 22:26; 27:10)

His power cannot be resisted. (Job 15:25)

He is the God who punishes the wicked. (Job 21:20; 27:13) 

And the God who rewards and protects those who trust Him. (Job 22:23, 25; 29:5) 

The God of providence. (Job 22:17, 23; 27:11)

And the God of foreknowledge. (Job 24:1)

He gives to men understanding. (Job 32:8)

And life. (Job 33:4)

He is excellent in power, in judgment, in justice and we cannot fully know Him. (Job 11;7; 37:23) 

The book of Job can tend to be a hard read. As Christians we tend to think if God loved me so much why does he allow suffering in our lives. Job was someone the God was proud of yet he allowed Satan to inflict much suffering on him. Job lost everything he had, his wealth, his children, his health, yet He still hung onto the only one he knew could see him through. 

Friends we were never promised that if we followed Jesus that we would have rosy lives and that there would be no trouble. In fact Jesus said it in the book of John. 

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

He says it right there that there will be trouble and tribulation. We see in the book of Job sometimes it is brought about by nothing we did to cause it and we know that sometimes it is our own poor choices. But what we can always cling to no matter what is the sovereignty of God, and the peace that Jesus gives us to deal with the day to day junk of life. Our El Shaddai is sufficient! He is enough for us to walk whatever is in front of us. 

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless,” Genesis 17:1

Twenty-five years before this, God had made a covenant with Abram that he would be a father of a multitude. (Genesis 15). But it had not come to pass yet. Abram and Sarai had had no children. Abram had begun to doubt God’s promise so much so that when Sarai suggested he have children through her servant girl, Hagar he complied and what a mess that made. (Genesis 16). 

But now after twenty-five years of waiting on the promise of God, the Lord appeared to Abram again and declared to him “I am God Almighty”. Which is in Hebrew El Shaddai. 

The translation for this name of God is God Almighty. We know that El means God. I found a couple of meanings for Shaddai – one is Almighty, another is mountain. When put together it most commonly means God Almighty. God is Almighty and he will do what he purposes to do. Another meaning for Shaddai is enough. Which when all of these meanings put together would mean that God Almighty is enough! 

Let that sink in to you today. No matter what you are facing God Almighty is enough! No matter if you got that diagnosis that seems too big, El Shaddai, God Almighty is enough! No matter if the relationships in your life are broken, El Shaddai, God Almighty is enough! No matter if your child has gone off the rails and you don’t know how to bring them back, El Shaddai, God Almighty is enough! No matter what that thing that feels like a mountain in front of you El Shaddai, God Almighty is enough. 

It’s really hard sometimes to get to the end of yourself and realize that is all you have left to pray. But friends when we get to that point we have to hang onto the God Almighty who is bigger than our diagnosis, our fears, our wants, our desires, anything that is in front of us we must put in front of Him, He is still El Shaddai and He is bigger. He is enough! 

Many times, people who are not christians view our loyalty to Christ as bondage. Because they view christianity as a list of rules and dos and don’ts that we have to follow but that is not it at all. I know that for me I feel more freedom because of Christ. My life was in bondage before I gave my life over to Him. I always felt there were things I had to live up to, and/or things in my past that I would worry what people would think of me if they had known. My heart is in bondage to Christ now but that bondage gives me the freedom to be who I am, who He has made me to be. 

Recognizing God as Adonai means that I give it all over to Him, my direction, my family, my friends and my life. It means that I recognize His authority over my life and I desire to do His will and to submit to His direction. If I feel the Lord is giving me a task, I know that He will see me through to complete that task. He has me, He bought me with a price and the least I can do is submit to His will and His way for my life. 

“Or do you know know that you body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, fo you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

When I became a christian I became His. Now I can promise you I did not always live that way. There were things in my life for many many years that I wanted to do my own way. But as I’ve grown and come to know Him more and more it is much easier to submit to the things He wants me to do. I find that when I submit to Him, even though a job, or a calling He may give me seems huge and much more beyond myself that He will walk with me though that job or calling and it somehow ends up not being near as big in reality as I made it in my mind. 

To recognize Jesus as Lord of your life is to give it all to Him. It’s not just to say it. It is to have the desire to live the way He intends for us to live. Sometimes people will call Him Lord yet they do not completely believe it or at least they are not living it. But He knows it, whether everyone around us know it or not. 

“Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46

I want to be careful to always be authentic and real in my walk with Christ. He is the Lord of my life and I want to live for Him and I want Him to direct my steps and to help me though every single day. 

The truth and the heart of the matter is that whether people acknowledge Jesus as Lord right now one day everyone will acknowledge Him as Lord. 

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

I for one have discovered that making Him Lord of my life now is the much better way to go than to wait on the rest of the world. What does that mean to me? It means that I ask Him for my next step when I don’t know where to turn. It means that I daily spend time with Him and learn from Him and ask Him to show me His will and His way for my life. It means that I hand my heart, my hurts, my joys and my victories over to Him so that He can heal and so that He can rejoice and be glorified when it is right. It means my cry of my heart is: 

“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord (Adonai), I have no good apart from you.’” Psalm 16:1-2

Elohim speaks of God of creation. He is the God of the universe. He created the universe, He set the stars in motion and told the water just how far it could go so as to have dry land. But Adonai speaks of His right to rule and reign over us. You know God has that right, just because He created us and this world anyway. But while God is Jealous for you and He wants to be Lord of your life, He gives us the right to decide that or not. And that is where Adonai comes in. If we recognize Him as Lord of our life He is our Adonai. And while you may or may not have heard that term prior to this study anytime you have given it all to Him, surrendered your life to Him, I think that is what He heard.

Adonai is a Hebrew word. I read that the Jews of the day felt that using the name Jehovah or Yahweh. They would replace that name of God for Adonai because they thought that it was disrespectful to call God Jehovah or Yahweh, that God was too great for them to use the term. I find that interesting because Adonai is such a personal term to me. It speaks of His rights to rule over us and that we are giving Him total submission. I also read that when the term Adon is used which is the singular form of lord and speaks to the relationship between a master and slave that the relationship was always one of protection by the master and loyalty by the slave. While the master may have had the rights to rule and reign over the slave, he treated the slave with respect and love and gave protection to the slave, and in turn the slave would be loyal and would feel the protection and not fear of the master. It was a relationship when this term was used.

Let’s look quickly at another place that someone used Adonai in the Bible. We will look today at Moses. He had grown up as an adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. But even with all the privilege that would have given him, Moses still felt drawn to the Israelites, because he was one of them. One day Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave so Moses killed him. When this was found out Moses, he feared for his life so he fled Egypt and went to Midian. Many years later when God hears the groaning of the Israelites, He appears to Moses in a burning bush to tell him that He will send him back to Egypt to free the Israelites from Pharaoh. As if a bush burning, in the dessert that was not burning up mind you, is not enough to make you do whatever God is asking of you, Moses argues with God about sending him. However, even when he is arguing with God, he still is recognizing God’s lordship over his life. God gave him other signs to prove that He really was sending him and still Moses argued.

“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh my Lord, (Adonai), I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue.’” Exodus 4:10

Moses clearly knew he was arguing with God. How many times when I feel like the Lord is leading me to do something do I argue with Him even when I clearly know that it is Him I am arguing with? More than I’d like to admit I can tell you. However, when I look backwards at my life at the things God asked me to do that had me shaking in my flip flops, I can now see the hand of God clearly on my life as He carried out my assignment through me and many times in spite of me. Oh that I would do better. Oh that I would just go ahead and submit and not argue and that I would know that whatever He is asking me to do He will see it through and all I have to say is My Adonai!

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7

Lord please use me, this jar of clay, and show your surpassing power through me.