Blessed when...

You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me. (Psalm 119:7)

It might be hard for some to appreciate the truth of God 'prescribing' the right way for each of us to live, especially when we think we know the best way to live for ourselves is really what we want above all things in life. When you go to the doctor with your chest on fire and head filled so full of congestion you can hardly see clearly, you might expect a 'prescription' for some sort of antibiotic, cough medicine, and even something to help you breathe a little better. You take that prescription to the local pharmacist, don't you? You take the pills or drink the liquid stuff provided, don't you? Why? You want to get rid of the pain, feel the relief, and enjoy being free to be 'back in the swing of things again'. If we are so willing to use those prescriptions given by the doctor here on earth, why are we so afraid or reluctant to use the one given by the Great Physician? The one that will set our entire life free of all the pain we squirrel away, the relief we need from the fears we have embraced, and the ability to walk free of all of sin's miserable pull. 

You and I are actually 'blessed' by embracing his prescription - salvation through Christ Jesus. We are blessed when we embrace his direction - opening his Word each day, taking in manageable portions, and allowing those portions to begin to 'feed' our lives with life and liberty. We are blessed when we begin to put one foot in front of the other in the direction he leads - no longer content to follow the masses, or strike out in our own independence in the way we think will lead to our 'happiness'. He 'prescribes' the best 'cure' for our lives, but we have to actually 'use' what we are given. We have to do more than know he has prescribed it. If you are like the majority of believers, you make fits and starts in this walk with Christ. Sometimes we are quite steady in our travels with him, while we stumble along at others. The important thing is to 'use' what we are given each step along the way.

Believe it or not, there is a 'pattern' to right living. Think about those prescriptions provided by your doctor when you were ill. You took the pills three times a day, before each meal, or spread out over a certain amount of hours. Some were to be taken with food, others on empty stomach. Some required you to avoid direct sun for a period of time, Still others required you to drink a full glass of water with them. You followed the 'directions' given because the 'pattern' prescribed was what would make you well, correct? Why is it any different with the 'pattern' God prescribes for our lives through is Word? The pattern established is purposeful - each application of truth will bring some element of God's grace and healing into a particular area of our lives - even when we don't realize we are not 'healthy' in those areas. That doctor prescribed multiple medications for your yucky cold because he knew you had more than just a simple cold. You needed congestion removed from your lungs, infection controlled in your nasal passages, and even relief for your ears because of all the clogging of those small tubes in there.

Blessed when...  Did you catch that? It is when we do what he asks or instructs that we are blessed - filled to the fullest, overflowing, and able to give out. Healthy people can be around others - sick people have to 'quarantine' from others - why? They are infectious - their illness can be spread. Wouldn't it be nice to have something other than 'illness' to give out from our lives? We can have that - through embracing the 'prescription' provided by God himself - the Great Physician - the Creator of all things. Just sayin!