It always amazes me how God works in us. As I was driving home from Eastbourne words of a hymn I grew up with popped into my mind:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

I started whistling it and then sang it in Portuguese (that is my mother tongue) and carried on my journey. After doing this for several miles, I started to think back at the past years and my heart was filled with joy. I could see how true the above words are. God is faithful and good.

You might be wondering: what count as a blessing? For our world and culture a blessing could be a new job or a promotion, top grades that mean a top University, new car, expensive holiday, the house that looks like a showhouse and is worthy of Instagram, more followers on social media, being praised publicly. You get the picture. Add a #blessed after a post and you are trendy. Don’t get me wrong. Some of the above are blessings indeed, especially if you worked hard for them.

It is very common for us to consider the happy moments and good things we receive from our Father as blessings. A new born baby, a first house (or a new one), a happy marriage, a long time friend that is always there, a church family, a successful operation, full recovery from cancer treatment, kindness from strangers, amongst other things.

I want to concentrate on blessings we receive that are not as easy to identify, at least not in the moment. Things that show us God’s grace and presence with us, even though we carry heavy hearts and doubts. Those moments when we only see the difficulties and the suffering.

The Bible is full of these blessings. From the beginning, all the way back in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve receive God’s blessings in that moment just before they were expelled from the perfect place God had created. God clothed them (Genesis 3:21). When Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God, a ram was given. A substitute. Isaac did not have to die (Genesis 22:13-14). Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery. Even in his desperate situation God was with him and prospered him (Genesis 37 to 41). When Naomi was left without a husband or sons in a foreign land, Ruth refused to leave her (Ruth 1:16-18). In the midst of a battle when the Israelites were afraid of their enemy and all hope seemed lost, a young boy had a sling. A pretty good aim resulted in the enemy being defeated (1 Samuel 17:45-51). These are but a few examples of blessings that were given during difficult times.

The first verse of the hymn I mentioned above says:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

So when you are going through tough times, maybe you received an unwanted diagnosis that will change your life, count your blessings. Think of the people God has placed around you, to care for you, to help you and walk this journey alongside you. Perhaps you have just been in a car accident and the car was written off. No one got hurt but now you do not have a car and you are not sure the insurance will pay. Count your blessings. Think of the brothers and sisters that have offered lifts and you just found out that the bus you pass every morning stops in front of your work place. You might have remembered a difficult, toxic, dangerous relationship you had and all the hurt it caused you and those who love you. Praise God for his rescue. For providing a way out. Maybe your situation is too raw, too difficult for you to stop and imagine the blessing. Do not be discouraged.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

I can certainly look back to many circumstances in my life where all seemed lost or too hard, almost impossible to even conquer. I can see God’s provision, His protection, His abundant love pouring over my life and the lives of those dearest to me even before I knew Him as my Saviour.

The greatest blessing I can count is Jesus. His death in my place on the cross to save me and offer me eternal life. His resurrection and the promise of His return. This was not without pain and suffering. He was rejected, beaten, mocked, he endured more physical pain than any other human and He is God. Perfect. Creator. Majestic. All powerful. Jesus came to give us peace and reconcile us to the Father. No greater love has anyone ever shown for me. What a blessing!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

_{Photo by Marcus Woodbridge on Unsplash}

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are waiting for something? A train that has been delayed? A loved one that has been away and is returning home? A phone call from a estranged family member? A letter from the doctor? Exam results? A date for an important operation?

Perhaps the wait is for a new job, or a new home, a new city or even a new country to move to. Sometimes we are waiting for that holiday with the family we spent so long planning and saving for. For the mums out there maybe is that due date that never seems to be close enough, or has already past but the little one is refusing to enter into this world.

You might be nodding your head thinking: “yes” or “all of the above”, or “I have been there”. Inevitably, whether we like it or not we will be placed in situations where we will need to wait. What is the most difficult thing when we are waiting?

I find sometimes I am so preoccupied with the “thing” I want that all my time is spent worrying. “The what ifs” start filling my mind, the plans are drawn, rearranged, challenged all in the space of 5 minutes as I wonder how long this wait is going to take.

When I was 17 I spent 6 moths living in New Jersey. Back then, email was not a thing (trust me I am old enough to have seen this happening!). We wrote letters (yes, we needed pages and pages and a lot of good pens in order to update friends and family). It took a long time to remember all the things I wanted to tell my parents and I was very careful to include as many details as possible of what my days were like on the other side of the world from them. Then I posted the letter.

It took normally 2 to 3 weeks for my letter to get home and another 2 to 3 weeks to get a letter from them in response to mine (my kids find this impossible to believe). But every single day, without fail, I would run to the post box, after the mail man had been and would check if there was an envelope for me. Of course, most days I would not find one and would walk back inside wondering why it was taking so long. My mind would then wonder what my siblings might be doing, my parents. Was the weather nice… were my friends asking about me… had they forgotten me already? Some days I would get so upset about having no letter that I forgot to enjoy what God was putting in front of me.

Learning to enjoy the process of waiting is not easy. We have fallen hearts that desperately want to be in control. We want the things we want and we want them now. However, there are truths that we need to hold on to in “the waiting”.

God is unchanging, He is sovereign over all the earth. He knows all things and He is busy, at work, even when it seems He is silent. I love chapters 38 and 39 (I would suggest you read the chapters) in the book of Job when God is speaking to Job. Below are some of the questions God asks:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.”; “Who marked off its dimensions?” (Job 384-5); “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place” (Job 38:12); “What is the way to the abode of light?” (Job 38:19); “Does the rain have a father?  Who fathers the drops of dew?” (Job 38:28); “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?” (Job 38:34); “Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied its ropes?” (Job 39:5); “Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?” (Job 39:19)

I love the way God talks to Job, gently reminding him that He, God, IS sovereign and He is in control of everything. Another verse comes to mind: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I must remember to be still before the Lord and let Him do the work He has already started and He does not need my help.

There is joy to be found in the waiting. Joy for the heart that is peaceful and knows that our God is good and faithful. A heart that is not anxious. Paul commanded the Philippians 4:6-7:

^” Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.

God wants us to bring to Him all that is in our hearts when we are waiting. He promises to give us the peace that only He can give. How wonderful it is to know that no matter the outcome of our circumstances, God wants us to trust Him and his good and perfect will. Even more amazing is that God has promised in His word that He will be with us and in all circumstances He is working His purposes in us.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

So as we wait let us rest on the promises of our God and let us grow closer to Him in humility and love.

God bless.

_{Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash}

I am not sure about you, I am always trying to decide at the start of a new year if I should have a new resolution or not. As I look back at 2023 and consider the choices I made and how it all turned out a word comes to mind: perspective.

Not in the context of understanding a drawing and its correct proportions in a three dimension view, though it is good to appreciate those, but the attitude towards something or someone. If you know me well, you might be surprised by my choice of word. You might have expected me to say something like faithfulness, goodness, steadfastness and so on. I have much to thank God for His faithfulness, goodness, grace, love, mercies.

Perspective. What is my heart’s attitude towards Jesus? Jesus once asked his disciples in Matthew 16:15

 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

By this time in His earthly ministry, Jesus had visited many places, performed many miracles and taught all those who would gather to hear Him. His fame was going before Him and many were wondering about him, trying to decide who He was based on what they had heard and seen. So in the verses that come right before this one Jesus asked:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:13-14)

The answers the people gave were not unreasonable as they new from the Old Testament God had promised to send a prophet.

So what does perspective have to do with all of this? I want to consider the question Jesus asked his disciples. “Who do you say I am?” The answer Simon Peter gave Jesus was:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

This was revealed to Peter by God. What an amazing gift to receive from the Father. Who do I say Jesus is? God has revealed to us in His word from the beginning that Jesus is His Son. The entire Bible points to Him. He is the promised king who came to die for us and to save us. We celebrated that last month.

Do I live my life in such a way to proclaim the truth I believe about Jesus? That is why I need perspective. I need the Bible to be the lenses by which I see the world. Who do I say Jesus is? He is the Son of God who loves me, a sinner, so much that He came and died in my place so I could put my trust in Him and have eternal life. He is my Lord. He reigns in Heaven and one day every knee will bow before Him.

Our society and culture don’t see Jesus as Lord. Some say that if He existed at all, He was just a good teacher, a prophet, a bit of a rebel, a liar. Some will distort His image to fit in with their agendas and blaspheme, declaring that He was homosexual because He loved the men that followed him. Others will even say that He probably was who He said He was but the Bible is but a fantasy. A story, a bit like Harry Potter. The most worrying thing though is that they will try to convince us to think like them. They claim, consciously or unconsciously, that it is better to disregard Him completely. After all, who wants to be under the Lordship of anyone but themselves? “Be yourself!”. “You do You!”. “Sit in the driving seat!”. “You can do it!”. “Conquer the world!”. “You don’t need Jesus!”. “All you need is to love yourself!”. It would be so easy to loose oneself in all the distractions and lies.

So, as 2024 is well on its way, my prayer is that I will keep reading my Bible and hold on to the truth it teaches. I pray that my heart will burn with the desire to learn more about Jesus. I pray that He will be seated on the throne of my life always. May each of my days He ordained, be guided by a biblical and holy perspective. I will share more of what the Bible teaches about Him on my journey. More of Him. Less of me.

What about you? Who do you say Jesus is?

^{Photo by Sixteen Miles Out}