God is Still Blessing His People

Scriptural meditation: Psalm 34:10
"The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing."

Hello People of God,

I know it has been a few weeks since you have heard from me, but a sister has been “vacationing,” regrouping and just reflecting on the conclusion of this year and the approach of another. Oh, and I have been working on my dissertation, which is a ministry in itself. It has been an interesting year, but my guess is that we have not seen anything yet. President-elect Barack Obama said Sunday on “Meet the Press,” The economy is going to get worse before it gets better." Like a cold, some things get worse before they get better.

While the U.S. government has just acknowledged a recession, many of us have been feeling the effects of a burdened economy for months. Yet, we are still going strong. This week, I would just like to take a minute to remind you,
“God is still blessing His people!”

News outlets spend enough money and time telling us about what is bad in the world, but I just stopped by to remind you that there are some great things taking place in the earth. Even as jobs are being loss and the unemployment rate is at its highest, God is still blessing his people. A few days ago, a friend notified me that he was leaving his current job to begin a new one making more money. God is still blessing His people. Others may have told him he was lucky, but I know that this is a young man who attends to the things of God and His people. We have this inside joke that any additional funds should be tithed and committed to the Graduate Student Ministry in Iowa City. I am still waiting on the check (smile)!

One friend just bought a house, another is planning a wedding, and a few are expecting babies in the spring. Can you see how God is still blessing His people? Yes, it is possible that some of our Christmas trees may cover less presents this year. Yet, if you still have a living room for a tree then you should realize that you are blessed.

I had to say “thank you” the other day as I walked down the street and felt the wind and snow. “Lord, I thank you for these new snow boots and this coat that keeps my body warm.” There are people whose homes are outside in the cold, or they live in dwellings with little or no heat. It was not a mink, but I was thankful for the coat that kept my body warm.

Stay encouraged people of God. Do not faint.

It is an interesting time for me as I look forward to graduation and proceed with a job search. Even as I hear reports about unemployment and the rising costs of tuition at American colleges, I declare today that I will not be discouraged. You see, some of us can look back over our lives and see how we have had good reports even in the midst of bad times. My mind goes back to the spring of 2001 when I was in the process of graduating with my master’s degree and the economy was approaching a slump. I remember buying a fax machine so that I could send out resumes. I faxed and faxed and faxed, and gave that little machine a workout. I found a job announcement where the deadline for applications had passed. Most people would have given up, but I called and encouraged to forward my information. I received no responses from the other employers, but in the 11th hour, God made a way. I had secured a job prior to graduation. I look back now and I can see how God orders our steps. The job that I found at the last minute was the first and only teaching job that I applied for during that season. I wanted to do something else, but for years and years, I was told by teachers that I would one day teach. God’s blessings may not always look the way we want them to, but they are still perfect gifts.

God is still making a way and blessing His people. Things may not be ideal, but they are good. I am already excited about 2009. I know a number of people who are excited about the upcoming presidential inauguration. I am too; however, what I am most excited about is that I serve a God whose mercies are new every morning. I am excited that He is a God with a great imagination. I am encouraged that even in my mess He can use me for His glory. I am energized because He has me on His mind, and I am elated that He is continuing to bless His people.

If you cannot receive this word on today, consider rejoicing with others and standing in faith until your blessings come through!

Continue to walk in your blessings, and if this note has blessed you, please forward the link to a friend or even a foe.

ADS

This week’s photo features my grandmother, Louise R. Simmons, who celebrated her 80th birthday on Nov. 28. She has two older siblings who are still among us. To God be the glory!