The Blessing.
Deuteronomy 28:12 (NIV)
The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
Jews don't waste countless times praying for prosperity rather they work and become diligent. They know they have the blessing already. They knew that God is a covenant-keeping God and would keep to His words. They understand the place of God's blessings and the place for human effort. A lot of people try to help God by fast-tracking their progress and then attribute it to God. Some others too pray about everything without doing anything. God said I will bless the works of your hands, not your idleness.
Whatever your hands find to do, do it well and that is what the Bible commands. God said he who will not work, let him not eat. A lot of people leverage on prayer rather than do what is expected of them and a lot of people have forgotten that they have been blessed already, they just need to draw closer to the maker to timely directions and instructions.
The time we waste on praying for blessings and doing nothing can be channelled to doing something while understanding we are blessed already. God wasn't joking when He said I will bless the works of your hands. He is not a man that would lie nor a son of man that would repent. If He said it, He would do it. If He promised it, He would make it good.
Deuteronomy 28:8 (NIV)
The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
While understanding that we have been blessed, there are few things we can do to engage ourselves. Remember, it was the rod in the hand of Moses that God used. It was the sling that David held that God used. It was the dream of Joseph and Daniel that brought them before the king. What are you doing? What do you need to do? How do you need to go about it?
Here are few tips on what you can know to be able to do what you should do:
1. Become a specialist:
Knowing a bit of everything is good but a jack of all trade is a master of none. Stop trying your hands on everything. Stop doing trial and error. Find your niche. Look inward and think about what you do effortlessly that others find a bit hard to do? Think about what you enjoy doing and try to major in it.
It is understandable that due to life's pressure and mounting needs, a lot of people are doing what they are not even enjoying just to put food on the table and that is fine but you need to master one thing and carve a name for yourself. While doing what you are doing to put food on the table, never be afraid of showing and selling to others what you can do or who you are.
How to become a specialist? When you already know what you are best at, find those who are in that field, read about them. Learn about their successes and failures so you can emulate the success and avoid the failures. If you can get closer to them, get closer and let them mentor you. You cannot walk with giants and remain a dwarf. When they bear you on their shoulder, you won't only see far but go far.
You need a passion for your dream. Courage is not the absence of fear but the presence of fear yet the will goes on. There would be challenges to those dreams but keep going despite it all. Commitment is the primary key to achieving goals in life. Pursue with a passion the things that excite you and capture your imagination. God is always ready to dole out the blessings He has promised.
...to be continued...
Thank you for your time.
My pen doesn't bleed, it speaks, with speed and ease.
Still me,
My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.
Olawalium; (Love's chemical content, in human form). Take a dose today: doctor's order.
Yes. Whatever God said He would do, He would definitely come to pass. And I want everyone to know this, when God say I will bless you, that is not mean we would not have the challenges of that blessing. We should not give up or relent when challenges comes. I pray, God shall bless the work of our hands as He has promised.
God will bless the works of our hands.
When reading, others pray for everything without doing anything I remembered something I read in my childhood, it talks about a man who prayed that GOD would put someone in a boat to be able to cross the river, I do not know if you know this story, the point is that GOD sent a boat, then a big boat, then a barge, etc. and the man said, I ask GOD to send me what I want, please, people do not see the Lord's designs, they close in on themselves it's sad
This is a brilliant analogy. Yes. Most people ask for God's blessings but they are not doing anything.
God can only bless our work, praying all days for blessings without works seems to be a waste of time and energy to me
Proverbs 6:6 shows that God wants us to be hard working. He uses soldier ant as an example for us over there.
Praying for blessings only works when we are hardworking.
Thanks for this brain opening message @olawalium
Thank you for this lovely contribution. Indeed, we can learn a lot from the ants.
Thank you, I really needed this perspective. I love when we learn how others view possessions and money. Your words really spoke to me and are just another sign that I am headed in the right direction.
It delights me. Thank you.