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Seeking the perspective of Jesus

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NIV

The above verse has been a challenge to obey for many people, including myself. Little wonder that God put it on my heart this morning to share with you some things that I’ve learned only this past week about how and why to obey such a challenging precept. Please know that I realize I must process a truth such as this through my own life first before I go public with it. Otherwise, I would be speaking with theory rather than from my own personal experience. I have pledged to my King to not go outside my personal experience, as I try to encourage the reader of these devotionals. This devotional will share points of view that have been forged from God’s furnace. I hope the insight revealed this week will help you better understand the concept of giving thanks in all circumstances, and that you will be blessed. In fact, I think it would be a good place to enter into the subject, sharing the concept of “pronouncing a blessing” on those circumstances or problems for which we are challenged to be thankful to God. So, let’s begin.

“At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they still do today.” Deuteronomy 10:8 NIV

This past week we had our semi-annual Strategic Planning Session and invited our leaders to join us. To start our day I asked two godly, older men to begin and bless our day with a devotional and prayer. They shared their experience of God’s faithfulness. One of the men used the phrase, “Living in the back side of the desert,” to describe a time of persevering trial that all believers go through in our discipleship by the Holy Spirit. They had both gone through such a time. For all of us, each trial is different. But, no matter how different the trials are, they are all designed to expand our capacity to both receive and transfer blessings to others. These trials stretch us and give us a greater volume in heart and understanding. They give us experience, and our experience can be a powerful influence on our world if we will allow it. When I heard the phrase, I asked our men if any felt that they were having a “desert experience” in anything and if they wanted prayer about it. Several did, but I led off by sharing that I have been dealing with an increasing pain in a leg that I have been troubled with for over 12 years. The problem has now been compounded by the knee in the other leg being affected because of the load that has been forced on it from the weakened leg. I now have two leg problems. The older gentleman, who had spoken about the “back side of the desert’ shared his own experience with a leg problem. He is in his mid 80’s and has lived with his problem all of his life. In fact, the hip on the “good leg” is now worn out, requiring replacement. He then went on to share a powerful perspective that has taught me how to see things differently.

The phrase “pronounce blessings in (God’s) name,” used in the above scripture is interesting to me, as we see that God entrusted this sacred duty to the priests of Israel. I can see how it would have been used to pronounce blessings over crops, over marriages, over homes, over wars, and any other issue of life, including sickness and disease. It was, in fact, a sacred act to invoke God’s help and blessing on the object of concern. Because of the New Covenant, we must understand that this priestly duty of the Levi has now been transferred to God’s royal priesthood, the Christians. (See 1 Peter 2:9) I had never connected the thought of pronouncing blessings on people and needs until I saw it done that morning. It was profound to me.

Our friend shared that he had been pronouncing a blessing on his worn out hip by thanking it for having been a faithful servant to him for over 80 years in carrying the load the other leg had placed on it. He spoke of it as if he were speaking of a faithful friend that had been to war with him and who had never let him down. He blessed his hip it by recognizing the blessing it had been to him. As we all watched and listened to this godly man, I began to understand how he was able to truly thank God in the bad circumstances - he recognized the good that had been given at the same time he was given a difficult situation. It was an epiphany for me. I took the thought home and into my private time with God the next morning.

As I began my quiet time the next morning, I was compelled to pronounce blessings on my good leg that is now suffering from the trauma of overload. Like my older friend, I thanked the leg for being a faithful servant for the 12 years it has been pressed into a duty beyond its design and told it that I understand why the knee is bone-on-bone and worn out. I recognized its courage and thanked it for the blessing it has been to me. While doing this, I felt God’s urging to do the same for the injured leg. It was difficult, at first, for this leg has been weakened by thirteen surgeries and twelve years of pain that vacillates from moderate to severe. How could I be thankful for this leg? After all, it has brought me so much pain and could be perceived as having let me down and not pulled its end of the load. Out of obedience, I thanked God for the injured leg, and when I did so, a holy insight came flooding into my soul. I thought back about the life-threatening scare to the leg that drove this self-reliant man to his knees and how this, in itself, blessed me by taking me nearer to Christ. I thought about the months that I had to walk on crutches requiring me to ask for help of others. I thought about the extra time I was provided to articulate deep thoughts on paper, which became the impetus that propelled me into a writing ministry.

I thought of the sheer joy my wife and I felt as we saw God provide for us in my business when all we could do is shake our heads and ask, “How?” I thought about how God made the Apostle Paul weak so that he in turn could be made strong, and I understood firsthand the concept of abandonment of my strengths and self so that I can trust in my King absolutely. I thought about the story of how the shepherds of old would break the leg of a lamb that was prone to endanger itself by wandering off alone and would carry it until the leg healed. The shepherd would lift the lamb off his shoulders and allow it to eat at his feet. When the lamb had healed, it would then stay close to his loving shepherd for the rest of his life. I made the connection that God had done the same with me and through my injured leg, I had been carried by my Shepherd, and my heart had been won forever for my King. As the flood of memories came to me, I began to connect the dots of how my injured leg, the one that has given me so much pain for so many years, was the conduit of God’s greatest blessings to me. I now had the proper perspective, and I began to speak to my injured leg with true affection, recognizing that it had born a greater load for me. It had been afflicted for me, it had been humiliated for me, it had been dishonored for me, so that I could be brought close to my King. Never had I recognized the great source of blessings that had been brought to me through the pain of that leg until that morning. I could truly pronounce blessings on my “bad leg.”

God was not through with me yet, as He then urged me to pronounce blessings on a man who had betrayed me. This was hard, but I began to see the good things that came from the bad thing he did. I wanted God to truly bless him. God then asked me to pronounce blessings on a company that had dishonored me. This was hard, but again I was able to see how it birthed me into a needed transition that would lead to the blessings of today. On and on, God asked me to pronounce blessings on family, friends, difficult circumstances, and difficult people, as well all matters of things I would never have been able to thank Him for. As I did these things, I felt as if I was lifted into a place where I could see with God’s point of view rather than my earthbound view. It was quite an experience that I will not soon forget. Now to you, my friend, for this is why I write these devotionals.

What is going on with you right now that is extremely difficult? Will you pronounce blessings on your situation by thanking God for it? Will you look beyond this immediate threat and allow God to give you a different point of view? Will you entrust this very difficult situation to Him and allow Him to make good out of it for you? If you are God’s child, then you are a member of His royal priesthood. Will you dignify that holy position by living before the world of watching eyes a life that brings honor to your King in the face of tragedy? Will you seize the moment and allow this desperate hour to prove itself one day as your finest hour? You can if you will pronounce blessings on your circumstances and allow God to give back to you that which you entrust to Him. Start right now with your priestly duties and pronounce blessings on all those people and circumstances that come to your mind, and allow God to show you His point of view. If you will do this, like me, you will never be the same.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 NIV