Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
We are so richly blessed that we often do not see the blessings that are right in front of us. We have been given so much love and help from God, that our capacity to take it all in is beyond our comprehension. 2 Pet. 1:3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
Unfortunately, we don’t always count our blessings, because they are immeasurable. Be that as it may, why are we no longer counting the blessings we do see in our lives? Have we become complacent with the generosity of God, and become blind to His goodness? I hope not, because the blessing of the Lord should make us rich in gratitude as well as in the provisions for living a blessed life.
We sometimes miss the greatness of God’s plan, because we are looking afar off for answers that are close at hand. “The answer is in the house.” This is one of my wife’s expressions when looking for an answer to one of life’s problems. Her faith is saying that God has already taken care of the problem. However, we just have to believe it by faith, and see how it manifests in God’s timing. My wife sees this principle at work in the story of the widow in, 2 Kings 4:1-7.
There was a widow who had to pay off some big debts that the creditors had come to collect. She asks Elisha for help, and he says to her, “What do you have in the house?” 2 Kings 4:2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Through faith, and a miracle of provision, the widow obeys Elisha and borrowed many large jars and fills the jars with oil. She did not stop pouring until the last jar was full. She was able to sell all the oil and pay off all she owed, plus have enough left to live on. Wow! The answer was in the house.
In another Scripture, Moses needs God’s help and all he has is his shepherd’s staff. Ex. 4:2 Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. God used what Moses had within reach of Moses’ hand to deliver Israel. The answer was in the house, so to speak. Moses did not have to go off on some quest and find a unique thing or weapon that would work against an Egyptian army. God was able to deliver a nation with what was available to Moses and that was his shepherd’s staff. The blessing Moses needed was right there in his hand. With God, all things are possible. Matt. 19:26b But with God all things are possible. Gratefulness to God for what we do have is what God can use to richly bless us.
This is part of Earl Nightingale’s article, The Acres of Diamonds story ”a true one” is told of an African farmer who heard tales about other farmers who had made millions by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. He sold the farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent searching unsuccessfully for the gleaming gems that brought such high prices on the markets of the world. Finally, worn out and in a fit of despondency, he threw himself into a river and drowned.
Meanwhile, the man who had bought his farm happened to be crossing the small stream on the property one day, when suddenly there was a bright flash of blue and red light from the stream bottom. He bent down and picked up a stone. He had found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farm the first farmer had sold so that he might find a diamond mine, turned out to be one of the most productive diamond mines on the entire African continent. The first farmer had owned, free and clear … acres of diamonds. But he had sold them for practically nothing, in order to look for them elsewhere.
What an amazing story of loss and gain. There are so many takeaways from this life lesson and significant teaching. How many people are walking through life looking for blessings that are right under their feet? In fact, they are walking in blessings galore but not able to see or appreciate them, because they have not been giving thanks to God for what they do have in life. 1 Thes. 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I say it again, “We are richly blessed.” The Lord has blessed us with so many blessings that if we were to start counting them today, we would still be counting until the day we died. Look at what God has done for us through Christ our Lord. Psalm 103:3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. These are just a few blessings we live in every day. Let us all proclaim this verse together and out loud! Prov. 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. Amen and amen!
Amen, thankfulness opens and keeps the door open to His provision.