Where’s My Blessing?

There was a young woman who questioned, “Where is my blessing?” I asked her if she was having trouble with her faith, she replied, “Well, yes a little.” She went on to tell me how she saw some Christians who just seem to keep getting blessed, and some she thought didn’t deserve it. She felt that when times were hard others seem to be able to be blessed from God and get out of their jams, why wasn’t she? She thought her actions toward God were fine, especially compared with a person she knew who didn’t even act like a Christian except on Sundays, yet seem to get all the breaks.

One thing we have to understand is that God does what he wants and when he wants. God judges a person by their inward heart, not outward. We first examine ourselves, truly and honestly. Are we pleasing God, our we spending time working on our relationship to him? That would be the first thing I ask myself.

You also have to ask yourself, if I received the thing I asked for, is it something that God would feel to be a good thing for me? If we ask for a million dollars and don’t get it, then maybe we are not asking for the right thing. God is not a slot machine, throwing all your quarters in and hoping to hit the jackpot. God gives to people in so many ways we may not be recognizing it.

When I ask God to keep my family safe when we are driving a long distance, and we arrive to our destination and home unscathed, I call that a blessing. To someone else, they may not think the blessing is big enough for them to even bother recognizing. Sometimes the blessings people are looking for are the ones that pay big! A new car, a house, or some other material thing. To one person a blessing could be getting to spend time with family, to another it’s getting a settlement. Each Christian needs to wake up and give thanks to all the blessings we do get everyday.

Remember when Jesus was talking to the disciples about his death;

John 21:20-23  Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; who also leaned back on his breast at the supper, and said, Lord, who is he that betrayeth thee?  (21)  Peter therefore seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?  (22)  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. (23)  This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, that he should not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

Peter wanted to know about John and maybe his fate. Jesus did not say he would not die, but basically told Peter if I want John to hang around, what is that to you? Basically telling Peter to mind his own business and consider what the Lord requires of you, not someone else.

God has reasons and purpose behind blessings or chastisements. We should be concerned about our own relationship to God. Most of us have enough work trying to understand what God wants for us in our own lives, we don’t need to worry, or feel jealous if others seems to be getting something we want. God may choose to bless someone financially, and another in areas of a relationship. We all are on different paths spiritually. Some of us are new to Gods word, and some of us have been in a relationship for many years. But recognizing that God gives gifts as he sees fit, and when he chooses.

Exodus 33:19  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

One thing I do know personally, is that God has always provided for me in what I need. Not always what I want, but in the end, what I need. I have gone through tragedy and hard times, sometimes for what seemed like forever, but in the end, I was given what I needed. I realized a long time a go, to stop worrying so much and let God take charge and have faith that his love for you is so great that you must believe he will help you. But I also know for me that if something is not going right I have to look within first. A good parent will sometimes allow you to feel the repercussions of your decisions before they step in. If a parent gave you everything you wanted, you would be spoiled. What lessons would you learn?

God, sometimes allows us to stand in the deep waters, not to drown us, but to cleanse us. Sometimes to get our attention, or even to lead us to better things and better circumstances.

Never doubt that God knows you better than you know yourself. God knows what your future holds, and also knows your needs and desires before you ask. When your hurting, God is there, he has and will always be there as long as you want that relationship. It does not matter what happens in or lives, good or bad, it’s how we handle it that matters. When things go wrong do we start losing faith? Then that already says there is a problem with your relationship to him. Instead of taking the opportunity to lean on God in a time of need, we get angry and wonder why he is not taking care of us. I love God and I know he loves me, and he is in control of my life in all areas.

There are probably many reasons that problems occur in our lives;

1. God is trying to get your attention. God may want you to lean on him, strengthen your relationship, stop being disobedient, learn to have more faith. Or he may just be taking something out of your life that will bless you more later, or put you in better circumstances.

2. Sometimes people in the world are uncaring  or un-compassionate,  which is effecting our lives, maybe because we are related to them, or we have allowed them to to be in our lives which cause us grief.

3. Our own bad decisions, which put us in our circumstances, ill health because we don’t take care of ourselves, or financial woes because we are spreading ourselves too thin, or we thought those material things were important.

4. Satan, who pleasures in pulling you and your faith from God. Looking whenever and wherever he can to keep you from believing that God is there, or God cares.

Some people say well what caused this person to get cancer? They didn’t drink, smoke, do drugs, they took good care of themselves.

Our world has so much wrong with it, in examples of our pollution, smog, chemicals, medications that have so many side effects and it always seems like later they are pulling something back off the shelf due to serious effects to our health. Our food supplies being genetically altered, pesticides, all these things have potential for causing illnesses. When we ingest this stuff year after year eventually something is going to happen.

Believe that even through heartache and pain, God is there, caring, showing us mercy and blessings each day. I don’t blame God for the evil in the world. I don’t blame God for not running to my rescue every time I make a bad decision, I just don’t blame him. I thank him, and understand that my faith will always be tested in this world, and I want to please him and not fail in my faith, no matter what. There should never be any circumstance that could ever pull you from God, that is exactly when you should go to him, and be patient for an answer.

Always be thankful, that in our relationship with God we can look at the glass half full, not half empty, understanding that it has always been in Gods control.