Directives for Blessing

April 8

(Psalm 37:3 NIV) “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”

(Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; {6} in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. {7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. {8} This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”

When we think of blessing, we usually think of it as a gift from God. While that is true, there are certainly some things we can do to get us into a position to receive blessing. Psalm 37 lists several. First, we must trust in the Lord. Life does all it can to create insecurity in us. When times are tough, we can easily slip into self-pity and begin to doubt God and his goodness. Faith is meant for such times as these. It’s easy to trust God when we have all we want. But when we suffer loss, or we see someone who appears to be blessed more than we are, we are faced with a choice. Do we trust that God has given us as much as he wants us to have, or do we focus on the quantities involved and grumble at God? We can never appreciate and receive blessing with an upright heart unless we fully trust God to give us what He wants, and trust that what He gives us is enough. Trust in the Lord. – Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day