Swimming in the Desert

God has been very gracious to my family. He has decided to bless us abundantly in spite of ourselves! I told my husband this weekend that we are living like kings and we are swimming in the middle of a desert. We were hit hard by the economic downturn and yet are so blessed. We are overwhelmed by His goodness. Our 5 month old daughter is healthy and happy and we are healthy and happy. It appears to me that God is looking for ways to bless us because every time we turn around there is another blessing.

Scripture tells us in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." I have found that in my walk with God, sometimes faith is not so easy to come by. Sometimes we know in our head that God will take care of us but we lose heart because of fear of the unknown. Sometimes our faith is a choice we have to make in spite of our fears. Fear is very damaging when we allow it to take over our lives. When we choose faith in God in the midst of our fears we still please God. Joshua 1:6-9 says, "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". In these four verses, God has commanded Joshua three times to be strong and courageous which tells me that Joshua was fearful but in His graciousness, God encouraged him to be strong and very courageous so that he could be blessed and be a blessing to God's people. God has a marvelous way of supplying our needs through others and He uses us to supply the needs of others. I guess loving our neighbor as ourself really works in everyones best interest, doesn't it?