There are times when the blessings of the Lord are overwhelming. Truth be told, that’s how we should feel every day. Where would we be without God? The blessings in your life are innumerable and outrageous, even if you think your life is a mess and feel you’re at the point of breaking (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Every one of us is a sinner, guilty of breaking God’s law, and deserving an eternity in Hell (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23).
Few of us consider that as often as we should, assuming we ever consider it at all. You’re still breathing. You still have an opportunity to fulfill your purpose in life (Philippians 1:6). How much more of a blessing could you ask for? And yet, the Lord still showers more and more blessings into our lives every day (Lamentations 3:22-23).
It’s dangerous to make sweeping generalizations, but I think I’m pretty safe in saying almost every reader of this blog had at least one meal yesterday. Most of us had more than that, and too many of us had more food than we should have. How thankful were you for that? Beyond the rote prayer you said when sitting down for a meal, did you thank God for His abundant blessing of food? It wasn’t so many years ago when there was no guarantee you would have something to eat that day. Too often we think the blessings of the Lord should be grandiose and worthy of hitting the front page of the news. But His faithfulness in the little things is overwhelming when we take the time to consider it (Psalm 37:25).
You’re far ahead of over 25% of the world if you have a warm place to sleep and access to clean water. Let that soak in. The things we take for granted every day are unheard of for over two billion people in the world. I’m not sure how to help you if you can’t see the blessings of the Lord in that. If we’re honest, though, how often do we think about those blessings? How often do we fall to our knees, overwhelmed by the goodness and mercy of our God (Psalm 103:1-5; Ephesians 1:3)? I already know the answer because I know how often I do it. We don’t do it, at least not as often as we should.
We take so much for granted that it blinds us to the blessings of the Lord in our lives (Deuteronomy 8:11-14). And that’s the real issue. It’s not that the blessings aren’t there, it’s that we don’t recognize them. Worse, we won’t recognize them because that would mean we’re not in control of our lives. I have a newsflash for you: you aren’t in control of your life and you never will be (Proverbs 16:9; Jeremiah 10:23). Every day, you surrender to the will of the Lord or the will of the devil (Joshua 24:15; Romans 6:16).
Speaking of the blessings of the Lord, never forget He died for your sins (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:8). He died so you might live (John 10:10; John 11:25-26). You didn’t deserve it. You didn’t earn it. But thanks to the grace and mercy of our King, you can have eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16). There is no greater blessing to be had. We are sinners, deserving of eternity in Hell, but God provides a way for us to spend eternity with Him (Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 5:11-12). Don’t ever take that for granted. Don’t ever think there’s nothing worth living for. Jesus loved you enough to die on your behalf (Galatians 2:19-20). Love Him enough to live for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 12:1-2).