You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it…You water its furrows abundantly…You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:9-11
In the midwest, I grew up with an abundance of cousins, corn and chores…and always a little bit of chaos. Now as a city gal, I have to email or facebook my cousins, wait for the corn my mom brings up from the farm and teach my kids how to do their chores….the chaos is always present!
Lately, I have been struggling with my abundance and how to embrace it all. The abundance of ‘things’ cluttering my home. The abundance of choices in the grocery store or online, and the abundance of items that need my attention at home. In my abundance, it is easy to get overwhelmed or fall into an ungratefulness and a longing for change. It is helpful to remember that God is the provider of it all and He will give me the wisdom to embrace my abundance and live abundantly.
Provisions
God’s provisions come in many forms…food, wealth and family just to name a few. Having large quantities of all three is a blessing but not without its cares and concerns. In Genesis, God set out to give man all three so he could be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Part of God’s blessing over Abraham was the abundance of family. “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen. 12:2-3) Abraham’s family would encounter many triumphs and devastations along their journey, but God’s love and provision for His people remained constant. His blessings are shown through His provisions – like finding rare treasures in the midst of the chaos.
Blessings
Abraham’s family was blessed by God’s provision and His presence. Even as Abraham headed up the mountain to sacrifice his greatest treasure – his son, Isaac – God’s provision was already there. (A ram that would be the replacement offering). God’s ultimate blessings are His love and mercy. In the Psalms, King David warns men not to trust in their own abundance but treasure the bounty of God’s abundance (Ps. 52:7,49:6, 69:16). Through my chaos, I am realizing that abundant living can only be found in the treasures of God’s love, mercy and grace – the Creator and giver of my abundance.
Cares
At times my abundance can overwhelm me to the point of exhaustion beyond jet-legg. Somedays, I find myself walking through a fog – not knowing the day or time. This past week, was one of those moments as all of my family came down with the flu and the middle of the night became a ‘daytime’ of nursing them back to health. Whether it is a sick child or ‘cares’ of life keeping me up at night – God knows my heart. He is there to comfort me when I feel the most comfortless. All I need is to ask Him for wisdom and usually a phone call to my mom and dear friends. Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14)
In this year ahead, as I pave the tracks of my journey. I want my eyes wide open to the One who holds the wagon and the hidden bounty of love, mercy and grace in abundance. He is always there caring over my chaos!
Abundance
Provisions. Blessings. Cares.
How am I handling the abundance in my life? What blessings can I see through God’s provisions?