“I will bless those who bless you…”

Thousands of years ago, God made a promise to a man named Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) and his descendants: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you…” (Genesis 12:3a). This was one powerful promise, one that was passed on by Abraham’s son Isaac to his son Jacob. God went on to promise Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” If you read on, you will learn that Abraham and his family were blessed with wealth, children and honor. As God also promised, the world was ultimately blessed by one of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ.

Sometimes we don’t feel like we are very blessed, do we? When times are tough in our lives, we may find ourselves wondering where are those blessings that God promised? We tend to think of blessings as just abundant possessions and wealth; as they might be, but God knows that these trappings may not always be “blessings.” God has promised “never to leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:8, Heb 13:5).” Is this not an amazing blessing? King David made a very comforting observation in Psalm 37:25: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”

If we trust Him completely, we can be assured that God provides exactly what we need, right when we need it. We need to seek Him first, as Matt 6:33 instructs us, and then we can quit worrying about the stock market, the economy and our future because He will take care of us. I love the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30:8(b) - 9:

“Give me neither poverty nor riches –

Feed me with the food allotted to me;

Lest I be full and deny you,

And say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or lest I be poor and steal,

And profane the name of my God.”

This in no way gives anyone permission to be lazy or greedy, because the Word also has plenty to say about that, but if we use the talents God has given us to bless others and trust in His divine providence, we can cruise through hard times counting on the promised blessings from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.