On Being Blessed

Isaiah 61:1-9 2

Timothy 3:1-17

There is an interesting connection between our reading from Isaiah today and that from 2 Timothy. In discussing what is to become of God’s people in the future the prophet says, “all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed” (Isaiah 61:9). This is a statement of promise pointing to a time of restoration and grace. And here’s what the writer of 2 Timothy says: “What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them” (2 Timothy 3:11). What does it mean to be blessed by God? Does it mean peace, with no pain or sorrow? Or does it mean something else altogether? Can it be found in this life, or is it reserved for the life to come?

One answer is to say that God’s blessing is best understood in the life of the one who is blessed. Paul certainly considered himself blessed by God yet he went through times of severe trial and hardship. Elsewhere we read how members of the early church would rejoice at being found worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ. God’s blessing isn’t about a life of ease and luxury, it is about knowing that one is claimed by God and set apart for the work of the kingdom. As early as Abraham God also charged those whom God blessed to be a blessing to others. That understanding continues for us today. To be chosen by God is to be set aside for service as much as salvation, and when we grasp this we can begin to see ourselves for who we are: “people whom the Lord has blessed.”

So here’s a challenge for us all today. Let’s each take a moment to consider our lives, to reflect on what it means to be set apart by God for a task, to be in relationship with our Creator. And let’s thank God, even as we endure the pains of life, that we have this calling. For it is indeed a gift.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the blessings in our lives and to share them freely with others that all may know your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mining for Wisdom

Job 28:1-28
John 12:27-36a
“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” asks Job (Job 28:12). That’s a question I suspect we all ask from time to time. In fact, I think I must ask it several times a day. Where can wisdom be found? Where is understanding? Why do things seem so mixed up in our world and why does no one seem to have the tools necessary to deal with it all? In his collection entitled Chicago Poems Carl Sandburg included the work “Happiness.”

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of thousands of men
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though I was trying to fool with them…

And as recently as the late 70’s singer Elvis Costello asked, “What’s so funny about peace, love, and understanding?” He was speaking for a generation of people who had become very disillusioned.

This is why the first several verses from the Job reading today seem so appropriate to me. The struggle to find wisdom and understanding in our lives can be very much like mining for precious metals or gems. Sometimes we must go to out of the way places, or wrestle with difficult ideas, or strain our eyes (or the eyes of our minds) to see what is not readily apparent. But like miners, if we will continue to work and to struggle and to exert the energy we begin to find ourselves enriched by the results, and sometimes in very unexpected ways. The object, of course, is to be come faithfully obedient to God’s will. “While you have the light,” says Jesus, “believe in the light, so that you may become children of light” (John 12:36a). Keep working with scripture, mining the rich veins of spiritual gold and watching for precious gyms of insight. Continue to tread the familiar ground of “old favorites”: Psalms 23 and 121, Micah 6:6-8, John 3:16. But be willing to search in the places that are unfamiliar to you as well, for “all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Ultimately Job offers the answers to the questions. “Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). But to do these things, to learn to fear (or respect) God and to learn how not to do evil are both worth the effort.

Prayer: O God, give us minds to comprehend the depth of your word that it may guide us all our days and help and comfort us throughout our lives. Amen.