by Wendy York
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
–Psalm 21:13
In Psalm 21, David writes of how God has blessed him throughout his life. He writes of the many blessings that God has given him – blessings above and beyond what David could have ever imagined. He writes of the King who is to come, and the power and strength of that King over His enemies; over, indeed, our enemies. God grants not only what has been asked of Him in prayer, but far exceeds what we could imagine.
In November of 1993, a week before Thanksgiving, the husband of a woman was given a terminal diagnosis. Together, they had a son. Her prayers began with praying for healing. In the months to come, as his conditioned worsened, she prayed for strength and wisdom on how to best care for him and their son. Towards the end of his struggle, her prayers continued asking for strength and wisdom, but also, for peace. One year after his diagnosis, the husband passed away – the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
This “new” team of mom and son grew and strengthened. A few short years later, she and her son were blessed to meet a man who would become her husband and a father to her son. He brought two daughters to the marriage. Together, they had a son, the thread that runs between all of them. She could never have imagined, in 1993, that life would have turned out the way that it did. For all of the sadness, for all of the pain, for all of the days that seemed to never end, God had truly blessed her beyond her comprehension.
Often, when we face troubling times, it is easy to feel defeated. If we have nothing else, if we have nobody else, we always have God. He, who always answers with blessings beyond what we might think of! The greatest gift that God could possibly give us is coming. He isn’t wrapped in colorful paper with a big red bow. He will be wrapped in tattered cloths, and lying in a manger of straw. We cannot even imagine how wonderful this gift is. But we know that He is coming. The light that will save all of us, the peace and love that passes all understanding. We wait for that King, with open arms. Come, Lord Jesus! How great Thou art!
Prayer:
Our Father, we thank you for this gift of Jesus! Help us to open our hearts, Lord. Help us to know this gift of your Love to us and to share this love – this beautiful, eternal gift to all of us, with those around us, Lord. We praise you and thank you, God, for all of your blessings- those we ask for, those we receive, and those yet to come. Amen.