Blessing Is Misunderstood

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  Genesis 12:2  ESV

Few words in our Christian language are misunderstood more than the word ‘blessing.’ Because I am so prone to believe that earth should be my personal ‘heaven’, I assume it means something it really doesn’t. When my expectations are shattered, I’m angry with God for supposedly breaking His promises. 

Blessing means that I am graced with spiritual prosperity.

If I live in a crippled marriage, I can still be fruitful. My inner peace is not determined by whether I am loved by others. The promises of God bear the fruit of peace, hope, and a confidence that God rules over the unrighteous. I don’t have to make things fair.  He does that for me even on days I don’t yet see the evidence.  I believe that my faith sanctifies my household and I use my spiritual authority to engage in warfare by speaking scripture over my living space and over each member of my family.

If I live with cancer, I can still be fruitful. Momentary grace and spiritual stamina are promised to me as I immerse myself in the Word and in the presence of the Spirit. His love and compassion produce peace, hope, and confidence. By faith, I know that He is sovereign over the curse of disease and death. As often as needed I preach to my own soul and defer to the hope Jesus offers.

I am blessed, even in hardship. I remember that my spiritual forefathers, the prophets, and the disciples, entered the kingdom through much tribulation, but they held onto the promises of God and finished their lives with their faith intact. 

Your Word affects everything that afflicts my heart. Your Spirit comforts me in the intangible. Amen