Faith’s Blessings
Key Verse: Luke 1:45
“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Additional Reading: Mark 11:22-24
I realize that the first couple of chapters of the Gospel of Luke have been looked at as scripture that is appropriate for the Christmas season. However, as I read through them other lessons jump out at me. Today’s lesson is about how our faith is a channel of blessings that God provides to us. Elizabeth is a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Today’s scripture quotes Elizabeth when she spoke to Mary as she first entered Mary’s house when Mary was pregnant. We all know that Mary was, indeed, highly favored with God, but don’t miss what Elizabeth said that lead to that blessing: Mary believed that what the Lord said, He would do.
Throughout the Scriptures, it is a person’s faith that led them to blessings from God. Please understand, some things are going to happen even if you don’t have any faith that God will do it. Remember, Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah initially did not believe that God could give them a child at their old age! (Luke 1:20). God still gave them a child, John the Baptist, but Zechariah lost the ability to communicate with other people; he couldn’t speak a word until the baby was born. Our lack of faith, at times may not prevent a promise of God to come true in our lives. But it might mean that you miss a blessing along the way.
The greatest blessing of faith, in my opinion, is the peace of mind that faith provides while we wait for God to do what we are asking Him to do. If there is little faith that God is going to help you, then there is little peace of mind.
Let’s take for example the promise of God found in Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them”. What does this verse do for us when faced with the difficult issues of our lives? First, we can have faith that though God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to us, He will step into them. He is not a God that sits and just watches His children go through problems. Second, we can have faith that NOTHING that happens to us goes without notice from our Father in heaven; notice the word “everything”. Some things may seem so small to other people but if we care about the issue, so does God. The third thing we can have faith in is that no matter how bad the issue feels, God is going to take all of it, work through it to bring about a good result… something will end up being a blessing to us! This is what God promises to us who love Him and are doing our best to live out of lives for His purposes. This one promise, alone, will bring deep peace to anyone who can truly trust God to be true to His Word.
Elizabeth said to Mary, you are blessed because you believed God! Do you want to be blessed? I think all of us do! Join me in working hard to defeat the lies of the evil one and believing the promises of God, no matter how bad the circumstances seem at any given moment. It does take hard work on our part because the devil is real, and He never stops working hard to rob us of our peace and joy in the Lord. You might have to write out Romans 8:28 and read it over and over throughout your day, in order to keep the peace that God wants you to enjoy!
Father, I choose to believe you and claim your promise. Thank you for your daily mercies to me and your peace that goes beyond what anyone can understand! In Jesus’s Name, amen.