“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)

No matter how we live, we are bound to face tests and trials in life. There are two basic reasons God decided to bless us; (1) to overcome His curse through Adam and Eve, and (2) to establish the curse upon the devil, and to assure us that every evil machination of the devil is destroyed already. In order that we may understand perfectly well how divine blessings play out in life, the life of Abraham – the father of our faith, is a key principle. First, you have to note that the promised blessings of the Bible are the good which God has purposed and promised. The Christian life should, therefore, be lived out in the light of the superiority of God’s promised blessings in comparison to the “blessings” an ungodly world holds out to us. One very touching aspect of the Abrahamic promises is that the promise to bless Abraham with a child was made to him when he was 75 years. But that promise was not fulfilled until Abraham was 100 years old. Secondly, “The Great Nation” which God promised Abraham was just one seed – Jacob, who was born along with Esau when Abraham was 165 years old. It was not in Abraham’s lifetime that the promise of a great nation was fulfilled. Thirdly, note that God promised Abraham the gift of a land flowing with milk and honey for his GREAT NATION. But Jacob actually became a great nation in Egypt, and the land of Canaan was not to be possessed until Abraham’s offspring had been oppressed and enslaved for four hundred years. In fact, nearly six hundred years passed from the promise of possessing that land to the time his “seed” actually acquired the land. God was in no hurry to fulfill His promised blessings!

It is evident that in Abraham’s journey to becoming A GREAT NATION, God’s blessings took time to fulfill, and the process of fulfillment involved suffering and adversity: First Abraham suffered because of his deception concerning Sarah. He suffered because of his impatience in acquiring a son through Hagar. Abraham’s life was not one of uninterrupted bliss, yet he was blessed of God in every way (Genesis 24:1). Second, take a look at Joseph, his greatness became a reality when he went through difficult moments of slavery, imprisonment and ill-treatment in Egypt. Third, Jacob saw many strive during his lifetime before his “Great Nation” was fully established. Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning” (Genesis 47:9). Fourth, for the Israelites, their trials and afflictions did not end with their exodus from Egypt. Their journey to the Promised Land held many trials. These trials came from the hand of the God who had promised to bless them. The word of God is telling us today that God’s blessings are not inconsistent with His suffering. In fact, suffering can be a blessing in the hand of God. If we truly believe in God, then we should know that His eternal plan allows only those things into our lives which result in our ultimate and eternal good. In other words, God’s blessings are the fulfillment of His promise and the conclusion of a process which includes suffering and sorrow. Only God can make something good from that which seems evil at the moment. No matter how bad it may seem, His grace works to bring us out safely, strengthened and victorious. Do not be anxious, confused or perplexed. God is making all things perfect once again. Just pray and believe!