“You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country” (Deuteronomy 28:3).
Blessings are a divine inheritance from God. All God’s children are blessed in multiple ways. We are blessed with the fresh air we breathe- something which became too obvious at the height of the Covid pandemic, when the sick fought for oxygen! The sunny weather we enjoy is a blessing in many parts of the world. God blesses us with rains to plant food for our nourishment. More importantly, children of God experience the blessings of good health and company that enables them live a rich life of joy!
For God’s children to continue to bask in His blessings there are certain conditions though. “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). In brief, for the children of God to continually enjoy His blessings, obedience to His will is a command.
Like any child who has a relationship with his father, children of God can receive blessings by crying out to Him. Psalm 142:1 -5 says, “I cry a loud to the Lord. I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.. I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Hannah was for long without a child. But she cried out to the Lord and He blessed her with a son. “So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him” ( I Samuel 1:20).
Whenever God blesses us there are certain expectations. First, we should bless others! “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). Christians are not blessed to haorde their blessings and build for themselves monuments of glory. For “Freely you have received, freely give!” (Luke 10:8).
And finally, where God blesses us we must delight in his blessings. King David danced when the Ark of God was brought back to Jerulasem. Against protestations from his mean wife, Michal, “David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment” ( 2 Samuel 6:14).
So, today, you may find yourself anywhere on this path of blessings. Whatever might be your condition just know you are a blessed child of God! Start the day by saying, “I am a blessed child of God!”
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, thank you for all the blessings in my life, of which I give you praise that you bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’s name!
Related upcoming events
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17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
