Daily devotional, April 9, 2024 Natural Resources

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." 
Ephesians 2:10

At one point in our lives we have been told to “count our blessings.” Usually, we hear this as a response when we verbalize our sadness over a difficult challenge in our life. And indeed, it helps a lot. When we take an inventory of the good things we have in life, our focus naturally shifts on the good things even if only for a short time.

But how do we sustain that focus on the positive? How do we arrest despair and remain afloat amidst a sea of challenges? One way is to take stock as well of the natural skills and abilities God has graciously gifted us. Because more often than not, God uses what we already have to help us out of a sticky situation. All we have to do is to recognize these blessings and have faith that our God is good and He will help us endure. 

"Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life." 
Psalm 54:4

The story about the widow whom the prophet Elisha helped is a good illustration of how God helps us using what we already have in us. In that story, the widow was desperate because she was too deep in debt that her creditors are about to take her two sons as slaves. 

When she asked for the prophet’s help, he asked her what she has and she said that all she has jar of oil. He told her to collect as many jars as she can and pour the oil that she has on them. And so, she and her sons borrowed from her neighbors. 

"When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
 2 Kings 4:6-7

As followers of Jesus, we are being called to be like the widow. We should recognize what we have, and have faith that the Lord can help us. If the widow did not see the meager amount of oil she has as a blessing, the prophet Elisha would not have anything ready to use to help her. If she did not have faith that the Lord can help her through the prophet, she would not have collected as much jars as she did. What if she only collected one empty jar, would she have been able to pay up her debts?

When we feel desperate we tend to forget the blessings we already have. When we feel overwhelmed with problems, we do not see that our current skill set and talent can help us out of our trouble. When we are in our darkest, we tend to forget that we have a God who can deliver us and help us endure. 

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 
Isaiah 41:10

In his exhortation to the Philippian Church, St. Paul the Apostle reminded early Christians to focus on the wonderful things in life. To hold on to the true and good:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

Let us look inward, and find the natural gifts and abilities our God has graciously given us. And with faith and hardwork, we can endure. We have to trust that we have a God who knows what we need and so our first resource when we feel troubled is to run to Him. 

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." 
Hebrews 4:16

So how do we seek God amidst our despair? We worship Him. We worship not only in church, but even in our own homes or wherever we are. We set apart time day after day to earnestly pray. We dedicate a time of day to read and reflect the bible. When we delight in the Lord, He promises to help us out. He may not remove us out of our troubles the way we think He would, but He will resolve it the best possible way. After all, He knows everything and He can do all things!

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." 
Psalm 124:8

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 2 Kings 4:1-7 and Psalm 46 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: When was the last time you had an “inventory” of God’s blessings in your life?

Conversation with the Lord:  Heavenly Father, thank you for continuously blessing me inspite of the many times that I am unappreciative and ungrateful of all the good you have showered me. Give me the confidence to take stock of everything and use them not just to help myself, but also to show love to others and give glory to your name. Amen.