The Desire to Bless

 This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..." Jer. 6.16

Jeremiah is declaring as an oracle of the Lord to the people of Judah, lamenting the fall of the surrounding nations, and literally begging the people of God to walk in obedience. The plight of the herald is that he can see what God wants to do, what he longs to do, how he longs to bless his people and reward their faithful obedience. That is the heart of the Everlasting God! He longs to embrace a flawed people, who strive to please Him rather than themselves. But Jeremiah could not find any who had a "bless-able" life. (Jer 5.1 "If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city...")

It is easy to sing, to attend services, and to ask for mercy in prayer. This is what passes for evangelical Christianity these days. We react out of weakness, failure and disobedience. From a human perspective it can be very frustrating. From a pastoral perspective it is the feeling of helplessness as words of warning flow from the lips only to be ignored by the multitude. We are the proclaimers of the the "ancient paths" and the sign posts that point to the "good way". Yet there are few takers, few obedient, few repentant.

Yet the heart of God is pregnant with goodness. He longs to bless the obedient. Obedience is measured by the difficult things. It has to do with choosing God's ways over our own. Obedience cannot prioritize self over God. Obedience is measured in sacrificial giving, sacrificial loving, and sacrificial living. The raw truth is is that there are lifestyles that cannot be blessed by God. I say this with tears and sorrow. Some strive in all the wrong ways to achieve the blessing of God. The key is finding a life that God can bless.

Obedience is measured in sacrificial giving, sacrificial loving, and sacrificial living.

How can one find such a life? The prophet tells us the way. Stand and look...ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it... God can and will bless, give rest, guide and direct our lives if we will DO what he commands. Yes, this is a faith walk. But it is not a matter of intellectual assent but of the kind of faith that moves in obedience to the commanding voice of the Master. God desires to bless your life, is your life bless-able?