Blessings

Not too many Blessings

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. 20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? 27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:18-27

Let this passage serve as a warning to not let our blessings become the very reasons we would give for not serving God in complete surrender without any reservation. Riches in this passage blinded the ruler from realizing just how much he needed God in his life.

I wrote the poem Blessings when I was dwelling on the thought that the very things we should be most indebted to God for, which should evoke feelings of thankfulness, sometimes can become the very things we hold too tightly; and, hinder us on our journey toward closer fellowship with God. As I dwelt on this thought; I began to pray this prayer.

Blessings

Not too many blessings, Lord

Lest I become content

To depend on what You’ve given

To love the things You’ve lent



Though I thank You for relationships

May I never lean on them too much

That they’d become so dear to me

I’d fail to seek Your touch



May I not become so happy

With my life and things of earth

That I’d become complacent

And forget the things of worth



May I never be so satisfied

I would not hunger after You

Though I may have to suffer need

I want to be close to You



Grant me only enough blessings

To give to me a song

And never, Lord, so many

For You I would not long

Written By:

Laura L.Hensley

Copyright 2003

26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Psalm 37:26

Blessed in the Storm

Blessed even in the storm

25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. 28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:25-31

What a beautiful passage of Scripture! 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33 Sometimes the storms we face in life are for our molding. Sometimes, God brings us to a place of distress so we will acknowledge how much we need Him. There, in the midst of the storm, in that place of desperation, if we cry out, in our need, to Him, we will begin to learn how wonderful it is to be cared for by such a GOOD GOD. If we turn to God during the storms of life we will see that even the heartaches, the ones we thought would surely bring our destruction, can instead bring us to a much fuller relationship with God and to a better understanding of what an awesome God we serve. Truly, He knows how best to woo our hearts.

Blessed Be the Storm

I forget, sometimes, who I am

I question why I’m here

Life seems to get more hectic

Each and every year



I seem to lose my focus

When life is going grand

When I should be thankful to God

That sorrow’s stayed its hand



When things are running smoothly

I find no time to pray

I have much to accomplish

On this beautiful carefree day



Then as these halcyon days

Roll slowly and lazily along

I find I grow more dissatisfied with life

When nothing’s going wrong



I begin to feel so empty

So hollow down inside

But I mustn’t admit it to anyone

Because I have my pride



For why should I feel sorrowful

When things are going fine

I’ve watched others in comfort and ease

And now this time is mine



I rack my brain and try to think

Of something I am missing

And finally I am still enough

Just to stop and listen



I hear a still small whisper

In the hollow of my heart

‘Tis the friend who walked beside me

When my life was torn apart



We used to talk most frequent

Whenever I was in need

When the pain of life was so intense

I thought, “My heart must bleed!”



It was the Lord, my long lost friend

Who had answered all my prayers

For one by one He had taken

All my troubles, weights, and cares



Gone was the storm that had shaken me

Down to the marrow of my bone

And looking back; I realize now

He never once left me alone



I bowed my head in sorrowful shame

I asked Him to forgive

For I had learned; to seek His face

Is how to truly live



I prayed to be a true friend to Him

In sunshine as well as rain

To treasure each moment I spent with Him

In pleasure or in pain



Then I thanked the Lord for heartaches

For feeling helpless and forlorn

And I said the words; I never thought I’d say

“Bless’ed be the storm.”

Written By:

Lara L. H.

Copyright 2000