THE LORD BLESSES US DURING GOOD AND BAD TIMES

SCRIPTURE:
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: 
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family 
that You have brought me this far?” 
(2 Samuel 7:18)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever been in a place of “this far”? 
A place where you are experiencing God’s blessing and favor on your life. 
Not blessings and favor by the world’s standards of materialism and wealth, 
but by the Lord’s standard of provision, protection, providence, 
and peace that come from walking in His presence daily.

What a comfortable place to be when we are following the Lord’s leading, 
and trusting His ways, not our own. 
We should have a desire to meet regularly with the Lord, 
and to sit still and reflect on all He has done for us.
With thankfulness and humility, we should want to say, 
“Who am I that you have brought me this far?”

Think about the places David had seen in his lifetime! 
From dirty fields where he tended sheep to hiding in a drafty cave; 
from grassy meadows to the splendor of palace life; 
and then to the throne itself, 
where he arrived at a place of “this far” in his life.

David had experienced every emotion that exists; 
from confidence to fear, love to hate, and sadness to joy. 
After all that King David had been through, we can understand 
why he needed to sit before the LORD and ask, “Who am I?”

He was overwhelmed with the goodness of God 
and the faithfulness he had experienced. 
He had been through some of the toughest situations a person could go 
through, yet he remained faithful and God gave David his reward. 
Still, we have to imagine that the reward of kingship and royalty, 
paled in comparison to knowing the goodness and faithfulness of God.

ACTION:
Have you been there? 
Life has taken twists, turns, and changes at every bend, 
yet somehow for a season you have arrived at a place 
of seeing spiritual blessings from the Lord. 
You realize your place of “this far”, pales in comparison 
to knowing and experiencing the goodness and faithfulness of God.

No matter what current circumstances you find yourself in, 
with our Living God there is always a place of “this far” 
waiting around the next bend. 
A place of celebration, praise, complete humility 
and gratitude before the Lord. 

Have you discovered that the hardships you go through 
are all worthwhile when you get to your place of “this far”?
From a grateful heart, you can pour out your praise to the Lord as you cry, 
“Who I am Lord, that you have brought me this far?”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for failing to sit and reflect on Your 
tremendous favor in my life. Your blessings are far superior to anything 
this world can give me. Help me to remember my place of ‘this far’ 
whenever Your plan for my life leads me in a direction that may be risky 
and cause me to walk by faith and not by sight. I offer my praise of 
thanksgiving to You.”