They will receive blessing from the Lord. . . . —Psalm 24:5 (NIV)
It’s easy to feel gloom and doom when you’re dealing with a difficult life situation. These feelings were heightened when I was driving home alone from a meeting and dark thunderclouds were blocking the last light of sunset. Then, as I drove around a curve, there was an unexpected break in the clouds. In this little piece of freshly revealed horizon, the sun was setting in all its glory, in vibrant pinks, deep purples, and bright golds. How beautiful! I thought. I needed that.
Then I wondered, Could God have sent it to me? I shook my head. Don’t be silly. It’s just a weather pattern. Nothing more.
I remembered something my sister said the last time we got together. When Susan discovered a few yards of gold fringe at a bargain price in a thrift store, she exclaimed, “I receive that!” It seemed like an unusual thing to say, so I asked her what she meant. “It’s my way of connecting God with good things that come my way,” she answered. “It’s different from just thanking Him for them. I’m actively accepting it and believing that it’s an unexpected gift God sent specially to me.”
I blinked at the sunset between the black clouds and said three simple words: “I receive that.” Precisely at the moment, I experienced a feeling of being favored by God, Who intimately loves me and sends me good things even during the darkest times.
READ MORE: REMEMBER TO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Today, God, when I confront something ordinary that warms my heart, help me to declare, “I receive that!” knowing it is a token of Your care. Amen.
Digging Deeper: Daniel 4:3, 1 Timothy 4:4
