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Expecting a blessing from God

Today’s scripture: Psalm 146 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts (Robert Ferguson):

I found myself diving into Luke 9 last week preparing for a bible study group that was going to be meeting in my home. If you remember verses 10-17 in the 9th chapter of Luke, it tells the story of Jesus feeding 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and two fish.  And while it is an amazing idea to imagine Jesus being able to feed so many with so little, what ultimately knocks our proverbial socks off in this story is that there are actually 12 baskets leftover after everyone is fed. The old Baptist preachers used to say, “You just can’t beat God’s giving.” I thought it was interesting that the disciples, worried about how they were going to feed the hungry masses, suggested trying to scrape up enough to buy some supplies but woefully had to admit that even that would not be enough to feed this crowd. But Jesus was able to do more than just meet the need He provided abundance!!

As I was reading the verses for today, Psalm 146, I was again reminded that God feeds the hungry. It seems as if the Holy Spirit is busy during the season of my life trying to remind me that God is the true source of everything. There is not one area of my life, and might I suggest your life as well, that isn’t in need of and dependent upon a blessing from God.
Over the last few weeks it has felt like every major appliance in my house has decided to quit working at the exact same time. Worry, worry, worry! I, much like the disciples in the Luke story, suggested to the Lord that perhaps I could scrape up enough to handle the problems ahead of me. Perhaps, Lord, I can fix everything all by myself! Foolishly, this is what most of us usually do. But the Psalmist tells us today that if we truly want the Lords blessing in our lives we always praise God and always trust God. We especially learn to praise and trust when God brings us into overwhelming situations that are beyond our ability. Five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 hungry men, plus women and children? No way — unless you give your little to the Lord and ask God to bless it. Then you’ll praise God.

Thought for the day: Where is your basket of leftovers?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.