One of the challenges faced by believers is the random drought of obvious blessings that transcend God’s everyday provision of air, water, food, clothing and family relationships.
Yes, it’s true that if we’re breathing, we’re enjoying a rich blessing and anything beyond that from the hand of God is more than adequate reason to worship Him.
But you and I both know that we’re made of clay and that our emotions are sometimes more needy and that we are happier when our list of blessings extends beyond the air that we breathe.
God knows this, too. And that’s why He favors us with a lengthy list of blessings, even when we’re not passionately living to please Him.
Remember that God sends rain to the unjust as well as the just.
But when He sends special, not-everyday blessings into our lives, that is SO sweet.
In fact, we so quickly develop an appetite for such blessings and our pout factory sometimes fires up right away if they don’t continue.
This isn’t good, of course.
It reveals a presumptive spirit, one of entitlement that is a smoking gun for pride.
You probably have certain blessings that you would LOVE to have God send your way. If you could have obtained them by yourself, you would have already done so, but you can’t and so you have to wait.
Perhaps the blessing involves a better situation at work. Perhaps it involves a different attitude toward you by someone in your family. Perhaps it involves a transformation in one of your major joints.
God won’t give you the blessing in order to shut up your whining, if you’re doing so. He will give you the blessing at the optimal time that it will help your life and stir you to praise Him through testimony to others and through worship to Him.
Sometimes, the season between special blessings is long not because we’re messing up but instead because God is shaping and strengthening and testing us so that we are optimally ready to receive the very special blessing that He is busily shaping into the perfect fit for His purposes.
I’ve gone for long spells without the “special blessings” that I desired. And it wasn’t fun to rebuke the dark whisperings to my soul of “God doesn’t care about you. If He did, you’d have a more blessed life.”
I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on trusting and serving God.
For He did send me some incredible blessings after long seasons of waiting.
At the top of my list of earthly, latter-day blessings is my wonderful wife Lori.
And at the top of my recent, long-time-coming blessings is my wonderful new ministry opportunity at SouthWinds Christian Church in south Miami, FL.
Why this topic today? You guessed it…. The One-Year Bible reading for today prompted me. Here’s the excerpt that did the trick.
“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.” Hebrews 6:10-11
The verse speaks to maintaining faithfulness until the end of life in order to not forfeit salvation. But the principle applies in a larger context as well.
Love God always. Serve God always. Trust God always.
And He will ALWAYS send blessings at the right time for you, both in this life and perpetually in the next.
As always, I love you
Martin
