Are you blessed?

 Psalm 144:1–15 (ESV):  

1  Blessed be the Lord, my rock, 

who trains my hands for war, 

and my fingers for battle; 

 2  he is my steadfast love and my fortress, 

my stronghold and my deliverer, 

  my shield and he in whom I take refuge, 

who subdues peoples under me. 

 3  O Lord, what is man that you regard him, 

or the son of man that you think of him? 

 4  Man is like a breath; 

his days are like a passing shadow. 

 5  Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down! 

Touch the mountains so that they smoke! 

 6  Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; 

send out your arrows and rout them! 

 7  Stretch out your hand from on high; 

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, 

from the hand of foreigners, 

 8  whose mouths speak lies 

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 

 9  I will sing a new song to you, O God; 

upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, 

 10  who gives victory to kings, 

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword. 

 11  Rescue me and deliver me 

from the hand of foreigners, 

  whose mouths speak lies 

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 

 12  May our sons in their youth 

be like plants full grown, 

  our daughters like corner pillars 

cut for the structure of a palace; 

 13  may our granaries be full, 

providing all kinds of produce; 

  may our sheep bring forth thousands 

and ten thousands in our fields; 

 14  may our cattle be heavy with young, 

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; 

  may there be no cry of distress in our streets! 

 15  Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! 

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord! 

Overall, most of us want a peaceful, blessed life. One where we are loved, protected and spared suffering. Saved from being conned or hounded by lying and dangerous people, and having our families blessed so that our children can grow strong and fruitful. Then to add to that, one where we have enough or even an abundance of resources, so that we do not suffer and can bless others and let them know that God has poured favour upon us. This is the kind of life that everyone would probably desire, and see as a blessed life. It would include; protection from harm and wicked people, good health, lack of discomfort, having more than enough provisions, plus a fruitful and strong family. If you enjoyed such a life, it would be easy to see the blessings of God, right? The psalmist, i feel, challenges that thought in the last line, ‘Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!’ We can perceive that having all of these things are indicators of God’s favour, but you are blessed to even be called one of His people - have you ever thought of that?! Simply having God in your life, the One who you can talk to about the trials, inconveniences, successes, suffering, difficulties and breakthroughs of life, is a blessing. Knowing that you are in relationship with God is a blessing, for it means that you really can expect Him to come through in miraculous ways, like the psalmist requests in verses 5-7. You can ask God for miracles, for unbelievable and seemingly impossible things to occur, because you have the ear of God, and that is a blessing!

Your life may not be perfect, that is ok. The blessing of God does not mean that you will have a simple or perfect life. It does not mean that your life will be easy or that you’ll be saved trouble. Having God in your life means that you’ve got someone powerful, majestic and just to run to as a refuge when life does get tough. You have someone reliable, faithful and honest to speak into situations, to help you through it, to train you for battle and soothe your heart and mind when lies are thrown at you. You have One who can and will rescue you, who does regard you, and will even perform miracles! Even when it makes no sense, you have a wise, mighty and impressive God looking at and caring about your life (v 3-4). 

'O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.' You, in the eyes of the World are small and insignificant, and should be in the eyes of God too, but to God you are worth training, investing in and fighting for because you are one of His people. That is why you can run to Him, expecting Him to be your stronghold and salvation. God loves you and will see you through because you are His. You may be small and as delicate as a breath, but when you have Almighty God with you, you have power and strength that no-one else can match.

The reality is that you are blessed when you acknowledge that God is The Lord of your life. There is no greater or superior blessing that you can receive than that. Yet God is so generous that He pours out His favour to you in other ways too, you will see breakthrough, salvation and fruitfulness but remember that these are just extras on top of the blessing of knowing God. Other people consider being blessed to look like; having a successful job, coming into money, having children that are strong and fruitful, being free from harm, healed and lacking suffering. Yet that is not true. These things are bonuses, and when you experience them do appreciate them and choose to see them as an addition to the greatest blessing you already enjoy. For 'Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!' You are blessed because you are considered one of God’s own. That is the greatest and most secure blessing you could know. Other things and people come and go, so do not rely on them to know you are blessed of God, you are already living in favour as you have the heart of God with you.