Inspirational Message: Counting Blessings to Outweigh Life’s Difficulties!

Why not journey through Scriptures to find truths that God wants us to practice? Why not be real with God? It may be helpful for us to begin trusting and leaning solely in the love of God while constantly seeking to know Him better and to be like Him! Our momentary troubles do not compare to the eternal glory that will far outweigh them all. So we dwell spiritually on things not seen since what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Can we find satisfaction in yielding ourselves to the will of God? Do we always recognize our blessings? Our love and appreciate for God is more important than achieving our hopes and dreams when they do not come God’s way! An excellent example of humility is presented in 1 Chronicles 22 when David wanted to build the Lord’s temple. He had the right motives, the leadership ability and the resources. Yet God said no because David had killed too many people in battle. How did David accept this information? He could have easily become harmfully angry or continued on with his building plans without God’s approval. Being a king he could have said, ”I’ll do as I see fit.”

He could have said just like we do now, “Who am I, Lord God – that you have brought me this far?” (1 Chronicles 17:16). These words were included in King David’s prayers as he began praising God for His goodness. This works for us too to thank God rather than complain about our shortcomings. God may have other plans for us – better plans! David continued his spirit of thanksgiving as he praised God and affirmed his devotion to Him. He valued his relationships with God more than His own ambition. He made God’s will his first priority.

Read 1 Chronicles 17 to understand much more about God’s promise to David, the gratitude David expressed for his blessings and his acceptance of God’s plans. As humans also, do we let disappointments change us? Do God’s timing and design always match our expectations? We must move on and continue to trust God and unexpectedly see His new plans emerge. It is always surprisingly beneficial to trust God completely in all situations. Several examples in 1 Chronicles 17-22 undoubtedly show us how God does not always allow success with our plans, but to our faithfulness. Our resilience to failures shows us the compassion of God who yearns for us to turn to Him.

Counting God’s blessings is a task with an endless number in human standards. As always, God’s grace and mercy make all goodness possible. We have a loving God who pursues and invites us to accept Him. Remember that we have so much supernatural assistance from God our provider. May His amazing grace fill us with countless reasons to thank Him daily as our blessings outweigh life’s difficulties!

Mrs. Gladys R. McElmore, a resident of Norfolk’s Middle Town Arch Community, is a New Journal and Guide Freelance Contributor on religion. She is a native of Essex County, Va.