Beyond the Blessing

I stepped outside into the gentle sunlight and the soft breeze. The air once tinged with the smoky gloom of seasonal fires is now a calico blue. The mountains shine gold in the early afternoon light, the sky broken only by clouds and telephone lines, ridges and trees. I felt the breeze’s embrace, smiled at the tease of autumn. I thought about the goodness of God. His goodness doesn’t just exist on this beautiful quiet Sunday of naps and blue skies and the peace of a neighborhood at rest. We know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). God is good today when all seems well and He’ll be good in the middle of the storm. Where can I go from His Spirit and where can I flee from His presence (Psalm 139:7)?

God’s goodness is woven in Him entirely. Lately, I see His goodness clearly displayed in His consistency. God is consistent when I am not. He pursues me when I fail to pursue Him. He speaks to me when I fail to speak to Him. He listens to my prayers when I fail to listen to His still, small voice. God is good to me when I’m not a “good Christian” - because His goodness and mercy are not dependent on my perfection, they’re a result of His.

Consistency. Do I seek God at my lowest and at my highest? Do I seek God in the valley and on the mountaintop, in the rain and in the sun, in the plenty and in the lack? Do I seek God in my contentment or only when I’m facing a need? Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11-13). I want to rely on God even in seasons of contentment. I want to go deeper with God in every season, like a well-nourished tree extending its roots further into the soil, producing more and more fruit containing seeds to grow an orchard. All to the glory of God.

I don’t want my growth to stop at the blessing. “Now that I got what I needed from you God, I’m good. I don’t need to seek you in deep prayer like I did when I had a void. I don’t need to spend time in your Word getting fed - I’ll just feast on the blessing. I’ll just revel in my answered prayer because that’s what feels good.” I want to go beyond the blessing. I want to be with you God on the mountaintop - together. I want to go deeper than celebration of the blessings you’ve given me - I want to praise you every day of my life. I want to tell of all you’ve done in my life. I want to love others the way you’ve loved me, saved me, and transformed me.

Deepening our relationship with God beyond the blessing requires us to seek Him with the same intensity we had when we needed something from Him - whether that be a job, a healing, a change in circumstance, or something else. If you were consistently in deep prayer, deep Bible study, and deep worship while you had a need or void, keep seeking God in those ways after the blessing has been bestowed.

In moments where it’s hard to stay consistent, God invites us to return to the basics. Back to a morning routine with Him. Back to consistent times of personal worship. Back to quiet time in His Word. Simple, foundational practices that have the power to transform us - just like sunlight, water, and good soil have the power to nurture a tree, rooted and built up. Let’s be rooted and built up in God as we seek Him beyond the blessing by consistently practicing the basics. God is consistent when we’re not and His love for us is not dependent on performance. Rely on His grace every day and watch the fruit grow in your life before, during, and after the blessing.

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