 We like to think of God as someone who blesses us. And while it’s true that God prefers to bless us, He is fully capable of cursing us, too.
Take the fall of man, for example. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent, Satan, tempted the couple into sin. Then, God cursed all of humanity. To Eve, God said, “‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you’” (Gen. 3:16 NKJV).  We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps” (Prov. 16:9 NLT).
Take one step at a time. Don’t be so concerned about the future that you miss today. Don’t allow your mind to wander so far ahead of time that you can’t focus on following God’s daily love in your life. God knows your future. God has written your story. Take your time. Take it easy. It’s only a matter of time before God’s blessings begin to take a fuller shape. This is so difficult for me.  I often find myself so distracted by my responsibilities that I miss the goodness of God. As I write this, I’m sitting on my front porch. Birds sing in the background. Gigantic, puffy clouds span the blue sky. Flowers blossom. Trees stand tall. This is God’s creation.
But as beautiful as it is outside, my inside is desperate for something more. Something genuine. Something real. I get so caught-up in this world. It’s almost like I forget about Heaven. But I don’t. Actually, I can’t. Because there’s something about me that longs for it every single moment of every single day.  If I prayed as much as I worried, I’d be praying constantly. Sounds good to me. After all, Paul writes, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17 NKJV). Now, there’s a part of me that despises prayer. I’d rather try to figure it out by myself. But there’s another part of me that longs for it. I realize my desperate need for Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, my struggle for control creates a barrier to my prayer life. Maybe that’s the purpose of Paul’s message to the Philippians. |