The young teenage girl, engaged to a wonderful man, waiting for her wedding day visited her cousin in another town. But after returning from her trip, it soon became evident she was pregnant. Complicating the situation, her fiancé wasn’t the father. Being a godly man, he decided to quietly break the engagement. Yet, imagine the town gossip. She has ruined her life and stained the reputation of her family. What a disgrace! Not a girl people would ever call blessed.
However, that’s a human perspective based on limited understanding. What people may consider a tarnished life God calls a blessed life. The young girl was Mary, her husband-to-be was Joseph, and the baby’s Father—the Holy Spirit. When God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit with His son, Jesus, he proclaimed she was highly favored . . . blessed among women (Lk 1:28 KJV). A few days later when she visited her cousin, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (v41, 42)! Mary sang a song of praise to the Lord and prophesied from this time on all generations will count me blessed (v48).
This raises the question, what does it mean to be blessed? Greg Laurie warns our secular culture has hijacked the word. Even a number of ministers have been influenced and teach about blessing with a non-biblical meaning. The Prosperity Gospel in particular, associate blessings with earthly advantages as prosperity, power, and benefits. The New Testament references to blessing have no hint of material wealth or a picture-perfect life. Mary and Joseph were among the poorest of poor. They couldn’t afford to offer the lamb required by the law at Jesus’ dedication. Instead, they scarified “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Lk 2:24) which was the exception made for poor people. At His presentation, Simeon a righteous and devout man, took Jesus in his arms. The Holy Spirit was upon him; He first blessed God and then blessed Mary and Joseph. Poverty never indicates you are not blessed.
Jesus, on two separate occasions taught the Beatitudes which both Matthew and Luke record. Jesus declared, Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God (6:20). Luke writes in his account of the beatitudes that Jesus also taught God considers those who hunger now, who weep now, who men hate, who people ostracize and insult as blessed. Outward conditions and circumstances are not a gauge for God’s blessings. Blessed is a spiritual word meaning to receive God’s favor and to experience the fullness of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit altogether apart from outward circumstances. Blessed means you are fully satisfied and secure in Christ.
Paul captures the idea of blessed in his usage of the word content. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances (Phil 4:11). Content means independence of external circumstances with internal self-sufficiency through Christ, as opposed to the lack or desire of outward things. He told Timothy, Now godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim 6:6). Contentment and blessings come from our inward relationship with Jesus. If we focus on external blessings as the world defines, we will miss the internal blessing God provides. His blessings are far greater than anything the world offers.
Corrie ten Boom spent ten months in horrific conditions at the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck. Officers assigned Corrie and her sister to Barracks 28, the worst place in the camp. Among of the hardest conditions they endured was the fleas. Yet, every night guards would enter the other barracks and rape the female prisoners but not one entered their quarters. Neither she nor the other women understood why the guards spared them until they learned no one would come near them; they said “the room was crawling with fleas!” She later writes about God’s blessing while imprisoned. She felt blessed and thanked God for the fleas. One of her most noted quotes, “You may never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.” She learned and experienced the true meaning of God’s blessings in the midst of the worst external circumstances possible.
Even when we fail and fall into disgrace remember in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Ro 8:28 NIV). He can turn our tarnished life into a blessed life.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Receive the blessings God has provided for you. Be content whatever the circumstances.