Drink from The Well

What does it mean to be blessed? In our culture, phrases like “I am blessed” or “#blessed” are quite prevalent and often used nonchalantly, both inside and outside the Church. By all means, the concept of being blessed is a wonderful thing. But from my observation of the world around me, we tend to only apply this phrase to material or successful things. Yes, blessings can sometimes come in these forms, but that is not primarily and ultimately what it means to be blessed. Sometimes the things we call “blessings” are no longer that if they point us away from God. They can actually become a curse to us. So, what does it mean to be truly blessed? Well, the only place we can find that truth is in God’s word. Just as the artist is the most qualified person to interpret his painting for us—in spite of everyone else’s interpretation—only God can define what blessings are, and what it means to be blessed. By his grace, we can find and come to know this through His revealed will – His word, the Bible. Ultimately, scripture defines blessing as a nearness to God, His presence, and His love, even in hardship. In fact, hardship can be a blessing if it draws us closer to Him. This is contrary to the world’s definition of blessing, which often equates it to prosperity. However, prosperity often distracts us from God.

Scripture gives us numerous examples of faithful believers in God whose lives do not resemble anything as a blessing if we went by the world’s standard. Some of those examples are Joseph, Job, Daniel, the prophets, the disciples, the apostle Paul, the persecuted Christians of the early church, and many more. These biblical examples, and even our own personal stories, help us to see that blessing is not just “luck”, the material things we accumulate, or the things we succeed in. Rather, it is God’s mercy, grace, favor, presence and love that defines our lives as being blessed. We come to know that God’s presence in hardship and his joy is true blessing. And because he values our transformation more than our comfort, he wants us to prioritize holiness over happiness.

Did you know that you can fail, or go through difficult situations and still be blessed? As I mentioned before, the primary state of a blessed person transcends material gain, success, or circumstances. Jesus, in his famous Sermon on the Mount, teaches us what it means to be truly blessed. He said:

^“3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – (Matt. 5:3-12)

Does any of what Jesus says in Matthew 5 align with what you think it means to be blessed?

As you can see, what it truly means to be “blessed” in light of scripture challenges our cultural view of blessing that is tied to favorable circumstances, prosperity, or happiness. The world teaches that the avoidance of trials is the blessed life. But scripture teaches the opposite. Namely that we can have blessings even in the midst of trials (Jas. 1:2-4). Jesus is a primary example – that though he brutally suffered and took the punishment we deserved for our sins, he was the most blessed because of his union with the Father. And we see his disciples follow suit by laying their lives down for the sake of this good news–the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you’ve placed your trust in Jesus, I pray that as you engage with scripture and grow in your faith, you will come to a clearer understanding of what blessing really is. Consequently, you will come to know that true blessing is primarily knowing God (Jn. 17:3) and cultivating your relationship with him through the means of grace he has given us. If you have not accepted this gospel message by trusting in Jesus Christ, your only access to the Father, you are not blessed. Jesus, who is God in human form (Jn. 1:1-14, Col. 2:9), is the ultimate blessing that you didn’t know you needed. Do you know him? He is the only way (Jn. 14:6) and the true blessing we need in our lives (Jn. 3:16-18). When we come to trust in him and what he did for us on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), we have direct access to every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1). And these blessings are not temporary but eternal. Therefore, we can take heart and hold on to our firm, secure and living hope that will never spoil or fade (1 Pet. 1:3-9).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” – Ephesian 1:3

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessings by Laura Story