The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of September 16
The Weekly Word
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
-- Psalm 29:11
We hear it repeated frequently, and maybe we’ve even said something similar ourselves: “I’m blessed with good health.” “I’m blessed with a beautiful family.” “I’m blessed to be able to live in this house.” We often call ourselves blessed when all is going well, when life is good, and when we have everything we need.
In His Sermon on the Mount, however, Jesus offers us a much different picture when he describes the blessed as those who mourn, those who are persecuted, those who are meek and those who are poor in spirit. This verse today from Psalm 29 echoes that “upside-down” definition of “blessed,” reminding us that God gives us strength when we are weak and blesses us with the gift of peace even when our circumstances are far less than ideal.
It is right and good to be thankful and to give glory to God for the food on our tables, for the roof over our heads and for our good health and the health of our loved ones. But we are also reminded that we are equally blessed not by what we have, and not by the perfect circumstances of our lives, but simply by God’s presence with us and His deep love for us.
Even in the midst of our weakness, sorrow and hardship, God blesses us. His blessing is the gift of His peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Gracious God, I know I’m inclined to look only at the positive things in my life as blessings from You. Open my eyes to see that every moment of my life contains Your presence and Your gifts. I thank you for the blessing of strength when I am weak. I thank you for the blessing of peace when I am overwhelmed. Amen.