The day you begin to seek the Lord – that is the day He’s going to bless you.
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JONI: Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a word from God.
Sounds prophetic and important, right? Like, “Joni has a word from God?” Well, the Word is actually from Haggai 2:19 and this is the Word – and mind you this is from God – the Lord says in Haggai 2:19, “From this day on I will bless you.” Now, if you look at the context, God is about to pour His blessings out on the remnant of His people who returned to Jerusalem. After all that they had been through; after all the defilement, yep, there are warnings. But as God’s people stand in the ruins of that destroyed temple; with stones and weeds all around, the Lord announces to them, “From this day on I will bless you.”
Well, all well and good for the people during the time of the prophet. But what about now? What day will the Lord bless? Well, Pastor James Smith from the 1800s wrote about that day and those blessings. And listen to what he says. He says: “What day [will God bless you]? The day you begin to seek the Lord. The day you decide to be on the Lord’s side. The day you publicly and honestly profess Him. The day you heartily engage in His work. The day you return from backsliding and repent from your sin before Him. The day you identify yourself with [God’s] people in heart and soul. What does the Lord promise? To bless you; He will bless your temporal mercies; He will bless your trials; He will bless your labors … your family … your soul; He will bless you with light [and] liberty, strength, peace, contentment, and success. [So, friend,] be decided for the Lord, and always walk in His ways. Expect His blessings, for He has given you His Word, and [He] confirmed it with a solemn oath. Be diligent in the use of all means [to receive that blessing]. Constantly look to Jesus as the only [channel] through which [those] blessings flow.”
Oh, my, all that from one short verse in Haggai 2. And all these blessings were not only for the people of Haggai’s day who returned to Jerusalem from captivity; these blessings are for us, if we – like God’s people of old – if we would but plead God's promises to bless us. And it’s what I encourage you to do today. If you would but put that bad habit behind you; if you would but let go of that grudge and reconcile with your friend or a family member; if you would but be honest in your dealings with people; if you would but put behind you whatever sin, great or small, you will enjoy peace like a river and your right way of living will dawn on others like the noon day sun. You’ll be like a tree planted by rivers of water and whatever you put your hands to, it’s going to prosper. God will bless you and then, you will pass on that blessing to others.
SHAUNA: Oh friend! That is such good news! And there’s even more good news waiting for you at joniradio.org today. At joniradio.org, you’ll find this program and a whole treasure trove of Joni’s other timely biblical wisdom to help you find hope in whatever hardship you might face. And let’s face it! Life is tough, so let’s lean on God’s Word and go to the Lord in prayer. That’s when we’ll find strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. And remember, please, remember this wonderful verse from Haggai 2:19. God says, from this day onward I will bless you. Because the day you begin to seek the Lord, that’s the day He’s going to bless. See you soon at joniradio.org. Oh, and one more thing. If you have a prayer need to share with us, you can do that at joniradio.org too!
© Joni and Friends