Blessings?

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenanceupon you and give you peace.

                                                                                                                                    Numbers 6:24-26 ESV

What is it to be blessed? Too easily we take a totally pagan attitude: it is when we have all the pleasure, comfort, possessions and security we want. No, it is when God is in control of your life, giving you exactly what he knows you need. When he is present in your life, fulfilling his promises for you, you are blessed. Now, the good news is that he is able to bless you in spite of all human failings, and in spite of the unpredictability of this natural world. In fact, He will work through these things to achieve His promises. That takes us straight to Jesus. Jesus redeemed the world through human evil.

In many ways, Joseph is the precursor of Jesus. Joseph’s story tells us how God uses human evil to bring about blessing. Underneath the story is the looming famine. Can God keep his promises to Abraham that he would bless him and give him a huge family? Yes, but how? Through Joseph being sold into slavery by jealous brothers? Through Joseph being thrown into jail because of the lies of a seductress whom he rightly rejected? Through being left in jail for an extra two years because the fellow he helped forgot him? Blessing? Yes, because Joseph never gave up on God. How easily that could have happened during those long thirteen years. If it had, God would still have kept his promises, but he would have had to do it through someone else. 

God is at work in your life, too. Don’t assume that everything has to work right or God’s not working. Don’t assume that everybody has to treat you right or God’s not working. Don’t assume that natural disasters only befall bad people or God’s not working. God is at work in everything and sometimes His working is most wonderfully seen in the most disastrous situations. If God is reigning in your heart, you are blessed with the greatest blessing of all. Don’t give up on him. He’s not giving up on you.