We don't want blessings...we want YOU

That's the song I woke up with on my mind. And the thought that came with it was -sometimes that means we don't get what WE ask for or what WE want. Sometimes not even what we 'think' God wants.

So what is it that we rest our faith upon? Well...on what God says, right? Right. But here's the thing. The same Word that thrills us with accounts of miraculous healings and people raised from the dead (what we would call blessings) also shows the flip side of the coin. Hebrews sums it up when it speaks of those who:

"through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: "
[Hebrews 11:33-35]

It's easy to have faith when we read testimonies like this. But what about the next few verses? What about when faith is met with a different result than we have anticipated? What if the blessing doesn't come? Well, at least not in the form we expected.

"And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. " [ Heb 11:36-38]

The Bible cleary says that both of these groups of people "all obtained a good report through faith," [Hebrews 11:39]

I'm hearing that song again...."We don't want blessings we want YOU."

What does that mean?

I think it really is important to have faith in what GOD wants....in God's will ....because sometimes-if we would really admit it-our faith is largely based on what WE want. When that is the case-and what we ask for doesn't come to pass-our faith can be shaken and in some cases even shipwrecked. But if our faith is really resting in what GOD wills we are, in effect, saying that it's not the blessing that we want-we just want HIM...we just want what He knows is best.... what HE wants because God, unlike us, sees the beginning to the end.

This, I believe, is the kind of faith that cannot be destroyed. It is the faith that declares with Job, "Naked came I out of  my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;" [Job 1:21] and, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him."[Job 13:15]

Does this faith negate a season of anguish and a struggle to accept God's will? No, it does not. We humans must 'work out' our salvation with fear and trembling." [Philippians 2:12]

It is a truly magnificent thing when God heals and does things that we deem miraculous. But the truth is that faith in the storm...faith in the face of death....faith when our world is falling apart- brings glory to God like nothing else can. As a new Christian, I watched a woman in our church- a wife with three young children- struggle with cancer. I saw her come faithfully to church with her family-even though she was obviously getting sicker. I prayed fervently, along with others that God would heal her. It didn't make sense that He would take this mother from her children. But He did. And I will NEVER forget watching that husband and those three small children in church worshipping God immediately after her funeral. Their faith spoke volumes to me. Their faith in the midst of grief and loss said, "This is the God we serve. We trust Him even though He has chosen to take from us. We believe that He still loves us, that He has not forsaken us and that He does all things well."

That was almost 23 years ago and it has stayed with me and spoken to me and encouraged me all this time.

So the next time we sing this song-let's think about what the lyrics really mean. Let's examine our heart and ask- "is it the blessing we want, Lord, or is it really only You?"