God, Give Me Someone To Bless
I am having one of those days. You know the kind of day where you just can't stop feeling sorry for yourself? The kind of day where everything that could go wrong does? And the more "blah" that happens the more you're justified to sink lower and lower into the pit of "poor little me" and not even try to crawl out. Anybody??
I learned a secret forever ago that if I would just remember to put into practice it completely changes those types of days. I'm going to share it with you, but you may not appreciate it. I know I don't always love it because believe me it's easier to feel sorry for yourself. It's easier to call or text and complain to someone who you know will sympathize and empathize and agree that everyone and everything is wrong in this world but you.
It's possible I'm speaking from personal experience.... Possibly.
Here is the life changing secret I'll share with you. Pray and ask God to give you someone to bless. It's super simple but it's not easy. It's easy to wallow. Believe me, I know. I am wallow pro-fi-cienct.
What I'm slowly learning is that wallowing never really does me any good. It just allows me and my circumstances to stay the same. When you wallow, there is no progress.
Just so you know I'm not pulling this idea out of the sky, let's look at Job. If there ever was anyone who we could say deserved to wallow in self-pity, it was Job. You'll need to read the first two chapters of the book to really understand the story if you're not familiar, but Job lost EVERYTHING.
Possessions, livelihood, health, respect of his community, and his ten children. Unbelievable! All gone in the matter of moments.
Job had every reason to wallow in self-pity. He had every reason to complain and he does for several chapters until God intervenes. It's a pretty amazing story that I encourage you read because God speaks A LOT to Job. But it's what God does at the end I want us to look at. He tells Job to pray for his friends and God will forgive their sin. The NIV in Job 42:8 actually says so God will, "not deal with them according to their folly."
You see in my mind the story should be God commanding Job's friends to pray over Job (instead of accusing him like they did), then God's blessing would pour down on Job.
Job is the one in distress. Job is the one who lost everything. Job should be the one prayed over. Nope. That is not the way God operates.
God has Job pray over his friends. God has Job intervene on behalf of them. God has Job step into the place of intercessor and God answered on Job's behalf toward his friends.
That is how God operates. Are you down? Are you upset? Are you wallowing? Pray for God to give you someone to bless today. Pray for God to give you someone who needs your hand today. Pray for God to give you someone to pray over today.
How do I know this will work? Well, I've already admitted I was having one of those days. So, I took my own advice and prayed for God to send someone my way; for him to send someone along I could show his kindness to today.
He didn't send one. He sent TWO.
Here's the ironic part. I was still so wrapped up in my own self that when a friend, I rarely speak to, texted and asked for prayer, I almost allowed my pity-party to overshadow God's provision. It took me a moment to realize that he had answered my prayer by giving me someone to pray for. Not long after, I received another text asking for specific prayer from another friend.
I don't have the words to describe to you my sense of unworthiness as I sat in the floor of my bedroom crying out to God for them. It changed everything.
I was so overwhelmed by the fact that they asked me to pray for them! That they thought of me when they needed prayer, and that God had allowed me to be one who could lift them up to him.
I realized something very important. Not only had they chosen me, but so had God. God chose me for them today. Please hear that again -
God Chose Me For Them Today
I am SO THANKFUL I prayed to God asking him to give me someone to bless.
What an opportunity I would have missed had I stayed in my wallow. What an opportunity I would have missed had God not opened my eyes.
Next time you're tempted to wallow and maybe sit on the couch with a blanket over your head - I may, once again, be speaking from experience - pray instead. Pray and asked God to send you someone to bless. You never know who God has chosen for you today.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again, and gave him twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10
Be very careful, then how you live - not as unwise, making the most of every opportunity , because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15