By Alex Anderson, Senior Associate Pastor at Bayside Community Church
One morning I was praying in my study at home and asked God for His help on something that is very important to Him and me. In my prayer, I was asking Him for specific things.
Shortly after my prayer, I was preparing to head to my office at Bayside Community Church and I had these thoughts come to me. Do you want my blessing or yours? In an instant, I recognized that God was trying to help me differentiate between the size of His blessings and the size of the blessing I had asked for in prayer.
Then this verse came to mind.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!
Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
Immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine stood out in my mind. Then I thought, Do I want my size blessing or a God-sized blessing on my morning’s prayer request?
Well, I was born at night, but not last night. I quickly said, “Lord I want your size of blessing, because I cannot think your way or as big as you think.” It’s true. I can think pretty big and imagine a lot. But I cannot begin to touch the fringes of God’s ability to imagine or to dream. One look into a vast winter sky can tell us that.
In the book of Genesis, in chapter twenty-seven we read a very sad story. It’s about an old and almost-blind father, Isaac, giving his younger son Jacob a blessing that was intended for his older son, Esau. Once Isaac realized that he had been tricked by Jacob to get Esau’s blessing, he was heartbroken and sad. Later Esau found out and begged his father for the blessing, but Isaac could not give the same blessing to two sons. Esau wept bitterly.
Why all the sadness over a simple prayer from a father to his son? It was the blessing. God was the one who was responsible to back up this blessing and make it actually happen. God gave Abraham, Isaac’s father, a special promise, a blessing. This blessing would follow to whomever it was transferred. That’s what all the crying and bitterness from Esau was about.
The blessing was not just the largest inheritance portion of Isaac’s estate going to the one being blessed (which was huge) it also included God’s help with life–the Blessing of God.
The blessing of God is the game changer as far as I am concerned.
I believe those who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can have a blessed life. I believe this for two reasons, and here is the first one.
The New Testament of the Bible says so.
He (God) redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Galatians 3:14 NIV
The game-changer in the promised blessing for us today is God’s spirit–The Holy Spirit or The Spirit. He, the Spirit, is the blessing. He is the one who changes the game for all of who believe in God’s son. And I’m not just talking about going to Heaven (which will be mind-blowing all on it’s own), but I’m talking about everyday life.
Imagine this. You have this person who lives with you 24/7, knows everything, is all powerful, can be anywhere at anytime all the time and loves and wants to help you—no matter what kind of knucklehead you may be. I’m not saying He’s a genie, I’m saying He is a person who can make life very good for you. And if you think wanting a good life is being selfish and not of God, then you should try Him first before really you decide. Because…what if I’m right (and I am)? Then you have nothing to lose but an unblessed life.
The second reason I believe those who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can have a blessed life is…we have a bunch of them a Bayside Community Church. I know this because I am one of them.
So anyway, I’m running out of word space. But it’s true; Holy Spirit is the game-changer for all Christ followers. He is the blessing. Christ followers have problems in life like everyone else, but we also have a person to help us, and He is amazing at it.
To your spiritual health,
Alex E. Anderson
Author of the book, Dangerous Prayers
www.dangerous-prayers.com