God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food…
Which came first? Blessings or Grace? Many of us are familiar with the beginning lines of the above mentioned prayer. Some may refer to it as saying a blessing, while others may use the phrase saying grace. Either way, within this context, I think we can agree those phrases are referring to the same thing. In our day-to-day lives however, while these two things may seem similar, similar does not mean the same.
Over the last few months, I have been thinking about what it means to be blessed. As a Christian, it’s important for me to do my best to understand the meaning of the words in the original language used. Blessed in this sense means praise or happy. While God understands our hearts and I believe the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, I have discovered that I have been praying for the wrong things. What I want is God’s continued favor or grace in my life!
One of the things I find interesting about this topic is the Hebrew word for blessing is closer to our English word. God has given us His ultimate blessing (gift) in the person of Jesus. Since I believe that to be true what greater gift can I ask for or expect? This is why I have come to the understanding of the importance of praying for His grace.
I am not suggesting that wanting additional gifts is wrong. I simply feel proud to be able to express how blessed (happy) I am. The ups and downs of my marriage. The struggles with excessive drinking. The womanizing. All of these things are blessings. How? They have molded me into the individual who is able to unashamedly write this and proclaim how great His mercy has been.
There are some very specific goals I still aim to accomplish and some additional things that I want to see happen within my life and in the life of my family but as I continue to grow and walk with the Lord, I realize that I am able to appreciate His Grace because of His Blessings!
Freedom of Expression 