Journal Entry ~ 07/09/18

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  - Psalm 23:5

Our shepherd prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. Think about that. We wrestle and struggle with our enemies in this world. We deeply desire justice for the wrongs committed against us, for the hurt our enemies have caused. And how does God respond?  With blessings so abundant our cup overflows. 

Before we move on, note these are not the enemies we’ve created for ourselves. If we have wronged someone, or there is conflict with another because of something we have done, we are told in scripture that we need to go make that right. It’s tempting to think that anyone we are in conflict with is our enemy and God is going to show them by blessing us, but if we are at fault in any way in that conflict, God will not bless us. We need to make that right. Perhaps we were harsh in our response or we were not understanding of their perspective, perhaps we didn’t place their needs before our own or we didn’t love them well - even if we’re ultimately right in the conflict. We must remember if we’re wrong in the way that we’re right, we’re wrong even if we’re right. We need to search any conflict we’re in for our responsibility, and we must make amends for the wrongs we’ve committed if we ever hope to receive blessings from the Lord. 

On the other hand, the enemies referred to in this verse are those who attack us without provocation and the attacks are against our faith in God. An enemy is someone who gossips about you, doesn’t believe the best about you, someone who is trying to take you down despite your repeated efforts to reconcile with them. These are your enemies.

And in front of them, God will prepare a table of abundant blessings. You can count on it. Our blessings come in many different ways - sometimes our blessings come as a peaceful marriage in times of trials, sometimes they come as sweet times with Lord or a supernatural peace in times of trouble, sometimes He sends you people who care for you when you need a word of encouragement. Your enemies will see how God has blessed you life. 

There are countless ways our Lord blesses us - so many that He promises our cups will overflow. The problem is never whether or not He will send the blessings into our lives, the problem is whether or not we recognize the abundant blessing. If you are in a drought, feeling distant from the Lord, wondering where His blessings are, there is one of two things wrong.  Either you have unconfessed sin in your life that you need to go make right, or you have an expectation of God’s abundance that is not on line with what God thinks you need. Many Christians hold a cup so big of complaints and requests about what He needs to fix in our lives that we can’t see how He’s trying to overflow us. 

God wants to give to us so much. He is pouring out His blessings on each of us, but so often we fail to recognize them. Do you see how much God wants to do for us? He gives to us a fullness of peace that should be running over, a fullness of contentment, a fullness of joy, of fruitfulness, of grace. If you can’t see the abundance, it’s time to get on your knees and ask for eyes to see. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Medical Update ~ 09/27/17

Image
Today was a challenging day.  I met with the oncologist to discuss chemo as part of my treatment plan.  The oncologist explained there were 3 additional invasions discovered during surgery, so there were actually 4 isolated invasions in the breast tissue.  To review - my diagnosis is Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  All 4 of the invasions are HER2+ (aggressive) and hormone negative (recurrent).  My oncologist walked us through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCM) guidelines for treatment of this type of aggressive, recurrent cancer - chemo and radiation. The good news is God had already moved the mountain in my heart opposing chemo, and rested me in a place of acceptance.  While my initial prayers focused on not having to have chemo as part of my treatment, after hearing I had multiple invasions, He moved me to a place of understanding that chemo is a necessary part of my treatment.  If there were 4 invasions in the sample they took, there co
Read more

My Journey Begins...

I am a believer in Christ, and I have breast cancer.     On August 17, 2017, I was diagnosed with an aggressive (HER2+), recurrent (hormone negative) type of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  At this point, they have not yet staged my cancer because they are waiting for the biopsy results from a suspicious spot in the second breast. The biopsy is scheduled for September 5th, with a lumpectomy to follow on September 7th.  They will formally stage my cancer after they biopsy my lymph nodes, which will be taken during the surgery.  It doesn't make any sense to me that I have a cancer diagnosis - I am a fairly healthy woman who runs 2 miles almost every day and eats a gluten-free, primarily paleo diet, with no family history at all.  But it makes sense to God, and so here I am. Update ~ They found 4 isolated invasions during the lumpectomy.  Due to the nature of my cancer (HER2+ and ER-), the recommended protocol is chemotherapy and radiation.  Beginning in October, my chemotherapy regime
Read more

Grace in Marriage

When we launched our new blog we had no idea if anyone would see it or be helped by it, but we knew that the LORD was prompting us to step out in faith and just do it. The response has been amazing and we are looking forward to how God will use this space for His glory. We have learned over many years of service in a variety of ministries, that God does not require human assistance to realize His plans for individuals, churches, nations, or the human race. But the story of the bible is the story of God’s will playing out through the words and actions of the His children. So…we pray, meditate on his Word, and write from the heart about the truths that mold our faith, guide our actions, and inspire our hearts and minds. Please visit the site and subscribe to continue receiving posts.  https://graceinmarriage.com/ It is our sincere hope that you are blessed by our work here and welcome your input on how we can make Grace in Marriage even better. Thank you for your support.
Read more