June 18, 2024
Before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
- Genesis 2: 5-7
Work is a creative and productive activity that takes an idea, a vision, a goal and turns it into a good reality. In Genesis, we see God bring forth His ideas to reality. He saw the ugliness of the earth - void of light and form. He rested from His work on the seventh day after making the earth and its occupants beautiful. As spirit beings, we are designed to work hence, it is not sufficient to carry a dream or goal, you must be able to transition it to reality.
God does not like to waste blessings so when He does release the showers, He expects results. Before He answers our prayers and provides blessings, there should be evidence that His hand is upon your life in the ways of work. As already established that the ways of man mimic the spiritual, rain is a symbol of blessings. In Genesis 2: 5, no shrub nor plant was seen on the surface of the earth as there was no one to till the ground hence, God did not cause it to rain. God, the creator of man, who knew when man will be created did not provide rain till He was ready to put man to work. This should make us pause and think.
There should be a desperate need to work when you request for God’s blessings. Your heart should yearn to exert effort and produce results. Many of us do not position ourselves to receive the blessings we yearn for. We are not ready to stay up late and perfect our knowledge and skills. If we are not diligent in our work, then the waiting period would make it seem like God is not answering our prayers, but God withholds blessings until we are ready to do the work, just like He did with the rain in the garden of Eden.
Blessings express themselves through hard work. Jacob received blessings from Isaac and immediately went to work. In the place of hard work, he married Leah and Rachel, and was blessed with twelve sons, servants, and large flocks of cattle. He was diligent in his work and Laban benefited from this diligence. God also protected him against Laban’s ill intentions—all a testament to God’s presence when we build a strong work ethic.
Is there anything in your life that you want transformed? Why are you not working towards changing the situation? Why are you resting before your change has come? Work provides purpose in your life regardless of your age and status. If God is still in the business of ruling over us all; healing, protecting, providing, guiding and so much more - why are we comfortable doing the bare minimum to improve our circumstances?
May God give us the posture of hard work and grace to be steadfast. Amen.
Song of Worship
Showers of Blessings– 1x.
Showers of Blessings we need- 1x
Mercy-drops round us are falling– 1x.
But for the Showers we plead– 1x.
Prayer - Dear Lord, thank you for expressing your blessings through work. Thank you for the opportunity to transform the work of our hands from meagre to mega. Please God, give us the grace to be diligent in our work and may our efforts be crowned with your showers of blessings, Amen.
Bible in 1 year: Nehemiah 10-11; Acts 4