Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Human beings are strange. If we think we are familiar with something or someone, we resist the idea that there might be something we don’t know about that person or thing. We automatically assume we are the expert on the subject. However, in actual fact our vision and our knowledge are severely limited. God is the only One who knows everything! The people of Nazareth thought they knew everything about Jesus the carpenter, and they couldn’t accept Him as Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. This principle applies very broadly. For example, we are likely not to accept a food that is prepared differently from the way we are used to it. We miss out on a lot of things that way. Coming back to this verse, God has many good things prepared for us that we fail to receive because we can’t believe them, or Him. In the case of eternal salvation that is tragic, but even born-again believers sadly miss out on a lot, I think. We aren’t to be presumptuous, as in “name it and claim it,” but God really does have good stuff prepared for us, “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,” (Ephesians 3:20) to use Paul’s turn of phrase. It’s not that He intends “easy street” for us; we have Jesus’ word on that. (John 16:33) However, He does have uncountable blessings for us along the way, if we will open our hearts to receive them. It does require faith. If we get in a tiff and decide that God is mean and out to get us, then we will never see the blessings God has prepared for us, as God said through Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 17:6) We’re back to that famous statement in Hebrews about faith: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) He has good stuff for us, and we’d better believe it!

I am convinced that a major reason I’ve seen so many blessings in my life is that I was raised in a household of faith. It’s easy for me to believe that God is benevolent. At the same time, I’m sure I have missed some blessings because I had decided what they were supposed to look like, and I didn’t recognize them enough to accept them. Looking at others that sort of thing is easy to spot, but I easily fail to recognize it in myself! I too need to keep growing in my faith, my openness to whatever the Lord has planned, and teach others by example how to do that as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the unavailability of the cushion flooring we tried to buy yesterday, because it gives me a bit more time to recover from the aches and pains of having torn out the old floor and put in the new wood. Help me indeed trust that Your plans are good, whether they agree with my plans or not, so that Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your rule and reign be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!