Lord, Bless Me Indeed

Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 4:10, Psalms 37:4

This man Jabez turns up briefly in one tiny, dusty corner of the Bible, among the era’s prophets, priests and princes. Why? All he did was make a prayer. What could be so special about that prayer?

Consider its words. In their original Hebrew language, they suggested an intense longing and a heartfelt request. For what? Simply to be blessed by God. The word “Baraka”, or blessing, means “the giving of a good gift.” Jabez desired a “good gift” from God and God gave him the desires of his heart. 

Psalm 37:4 tells us, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I imagine Jabez not only delighted himself in God, but also longed for His moment-by-moment presence. As a result, God blessed Jabez, indeed. 

In what ways do you seek to delight yourself in the Lord? In what manner do you long for Him? It is a good thing to want God’s blessing in your life to the degree that your heart literally cries out to Him.

God loves you. Deeply. Passionately. Authentically. With a love like that, how would you expect Him to respond to your request to bless you?

Prayer

Lord, bless me indeed. Oh, that You would look down upon me from heaven and hear the cry of my heart. It is a cry for connection, intimacy and delight both with and in You. Do cause our fellowship to be lit with the love from above while granting me the grace and courage to not only request but also pursue Your blessings. Bless me, Lord – bless me, indeed. In Christ’s name, Amen. 

Scriptures: Ephesians 3:20, Proverbs 23:7

Take a closer look at this amazing verse and you will find key concepts represented in Jabez’ life. The central word is “think.” From our thoughts flow our actions and also our words. Jabez thought enough of God and enough of himself to ask God to bless him and place his hand upon him. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Your thoughts matter. They impact not only what you say but also what you pray. 

In addition to the central word “think” in this verse, we find the word “ask.” Asking is the action step that comes as a result of your thoughts. It is reaching out to God and making your requests known, verbalized. It is especially good to ask out loud. 

God isable to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask and even above all that you think. His power and creative prowess extends beyond your wildest imagination. Never limit God by posing or stalling at the question: “How?” God has a million ways to accomplish the “how” in your requests and desires. Rather than worry whether God is able or how God will bring something about, just ask. Leave it with Him. He is able.

Prayer

Lord, You know my thoughts better than I know them myself. You know the truest desires of my heart – what will bring me the greatest satisfaction, accomplish Your purpose in my life and allow me the pure joy that comes from pleasing You. I know and believe that You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask and even above all that I think. Thank You in advance for carrying out Your will in my life, for blessing me – indeed – and for expanding the reach of my influence and impact for Your name’s sake. In Christ I pray, Amen. 

Scriptures: Jeremiah 1:5, Ephesians 2:10

The passage we read in Jeremiah communicates a powerful truth about you. The truth is that God knew you long before you were even born. Not only did He know you; He set you apart with a specific purpose in mind. Just like God had a divine role for Jeremiah, Isaiah, Esther, Moses and more to play in the drama of life … God has a divine role for you as well. 

You matter. You matter greatly.

Now, I can hear you saying under your breath in response, “But I’m just an ordinary person.” And, don’t be offended, but I might agree with you. You are. Ordinary. And so am I. But also was David, Paul, Sarah and Peter. You and I could sit for hours naming ordinary people God used in extraordinary ways. That’s because we are all ordinary. It is God’s role to be God – He is the extraordinary One. 

When you humbly connect your ordinary with God’s extraordinary, you enter into a journey of exceptional depth, impact and significance. This is because God Himself has set up this journey for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). And whatever God has planned will certainly be exceptional.

God has waited since eternity to bless you, my friend. He has a purpose for you to fulfill. He has already set you apart. Now it’s your turn to ask Him to equip you, lead you and enable you to live it out.

Prayer

Father, thank You for forming me in my mother’s womb. Thank You for setting me apart even before I was born. You have given me unique skills, personality traits, insights, experiences and more in order to fully live out Your plan for my life. Give me the wisdom to recognize Your leading and the confidence to walk in Your will. You are the extraordinary God who truly does make dreams come true. Let the dream You have planted in me express itself fully. In Christ’s name, Amen. 

Scripture: Psalms 103:2-5

Keep God’s blessings at the front of your mind. Remember as many of them as you can. Filling your thoughts with the promises of God increases your willingness, desire and ability to pray those promises. It also gives you a heart to anticipate His blessings in your life. As the Scripture says, forget none of His benefits. No, not even one. God longs to bring them all to you. 

God alone can satisfy your desires with good things on such a level that your youth becomes renewed. More money is spent on age-defying remedies, food, creams and surgeries in America than on almost any other life luxury. And yet God has given us wisdom on how our youth can be renewed. It is renewed in praising Him, staying bound to His benefits and blessings while resting in His compassionate love. An abiding closeness with the Lord contains the elixir so many seek, revitalizing us within and shining without. 

Praise the Lord as you recall all of His benefits in your life. He is a gracious God, always abounding in love and compassion, lifting you from the pit and crowning you with delight.

Prayer

Lord, I praise You. I lift up Your name to the highest place in my thoughts and in my soul. You sit supreme over all, the maker of all good things. Every good and perfect gift comes directly from You. You are the One who not only redeems me from life’s challenges and trials, lifting me from the pit but You go one step further to crown me with love and compassion. Your beauty brings a smile to my face and lights a flame in my heart. Satisfy me fully with good things, Lord, as Your word says You will do so that I may be renewed each and every day in You. In Christ’s name, Amen. 

Scriptures: Matthew 7:9-11, Proverbs 23:7

People sometimes have strange ideas about who God is. In my years of speaking and counseling, I think I’ve heard it all. It never ceases to amaze me how often people seem to think that God is basically angry – poised to throw a lightning bolt at any minute, or withhold favor and love as a punishment. Then there are those that seem to think God is just too busy or too high and mighty for their trivial life and individualized prayers. 

None of those thoughts could be further from the truth. That’s why those kinds of thoughts are what we call “strongholds.” They are deceptive lies of Satan designed to distort your view of God. Remember our verse from a few days ago? “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). What you think impacts everything. It impacts what you pray, say, believe and do. That’s why Satan likes to tangle up your thoughts with his falsehoods. And he will stop at nothing to do so.

Thankfully, we have God’s word to get our thoughts back in line with the truth. God’s word says that our Father in heaven loves to give good gifts to those who ask Him. He loves to give good gifts more so than the greatest parent who ever lived on earth. God’s heart is a heart of blessing and His gifts come wrapped with a grace like no other. Trust His word. Speak it out loud. Let it sink into your mind, your thoughts and let it affect your prayers. God will bless you, indeed. He will expand the borders of your influence. He would love to place His hand upon you, to grant you favor, keep you from evil that you may not have pain. Just ask. It’s okay. Ask right now. 

Prayer

Father, You are a good father. You love to give good gifts and to see the joy on my face when I receive them. Help me to recognize these good things as from You, and to give You the proper praise and thanksgiving.  Help me to know this side of You like I never have before. Bless me, Father, with Your favor and peace. Bless my hands and my heart and all that I do. Stay near to me and help me to stay near to You. Keep me from that which would draw me away. Keep me in pursuit of You. I ask for Your blessings in abundance. In Christ’s name, Amen.