Joel 2:23 Be glad, O people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you
the autumn rains in righteousness.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.

The Japanese has a twist in the translation that I don’t recall noticing before, even though I have it underlined. Where the NIV says, “autumn rains in righteousness,” the Japanese says, “to make you righteous.” Regardless of whether that’s the best translation for this verse, it’s an important truth that is expressed throughout the Bible in various ways. That is, God’s blessings aren’t just to puff us up, they are to make us into the righteous children that He desires. We have a strong tendency to focus on blessings for their own sake, for how they make us feel, but that is very short-sighted. God indeed delights to bless us, but the purpose of those blessings is always to draw us to Himself, build us up, and grow us into the mature children He created us to be. We should approach everything with this attitude: How is this going to draw me closer to God? How is this going to grow me as His child? How is this going to make me more effective as His agent, His representative? When that is our attitude, we will pray much more accurately and with great assurance, because we will know that we are praying in line with His will.

I have been blessed beyond measure, and recent events have reminded me of that. With the recent snow, I was reminded that I live in a comfortable, well-insulated building. With needing to replace an air conditioning unit in the church, I was reminded that I live in a nation where such things are readily available and are taken for granted. With my wife’s health situation, I was and am being reminded not only of what a fitting, delightful partner I have, but also of what a blessing it is to have top-level medical care available, not to mention effective health insurance. Today’s passage reminds me that all these blessings have a purpose, and I am to make full use of them toward that purpose, giving God the thanks, praise, and glory He deserves.

Father, thank You for Your immeasurable grace. I could go on for a long time simply trying to list all the blessings You have poured out on me. The devil tries to make me forget as much of that as possible. Help me be fully submitted to You so that I may stand firm against him, appropriating, appreciating, and making full use of all that You intend for me, so that Your purposes, for those blessings and for me, may be fulfilled in every detail, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!