A thought by Mark Batterson from his
book, Double Blessing (p. 22). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle
Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
That is an interesting picture.
Mark says, “An umbrella doesn’t change
the forecast. Life will rain pain, that’s for sure. But the blessing of God
does provide a covering of sorts, an extra layer of protection against the
elements.”
He goes on, “Does that umbrella of
blessing mean we get to sidestep sickness? No, it does not. How about
suffering? Nope. Failure? I’m afraid not. God loves us too much to rob us of
the very things that will catalyze our character development. Besides, what
makes us think we can be conformed to the image of Christ without being
betrayed by Judas, criticized by Pharisees, or tempted by the devil himself?
“The blessing of God doesn’t mean you
won’t get wet, but it can keep you singing in the rain... What is that umbrella
blessing? It’s an extra measure of grace during tough times. It’s a song in the
night during seasons of sadness. It’s the peace that surpasses understanding
when life doesn’t make sense. It’s joy unspeakable when you reach the end of
your rope.
“Of course, we have to position
ourselves under that umbrella of blessing… I like the way Ed Young says this: ‘We
need to get under those things God has put over us so we can get over those
things God has put under us.’1
Mark continues, “The blessing of God
is not carte blanche. All of God’s blessings come with a condition that must be
met. In this instance, it’s plain and simple.
Deuteronomy 28:1 says, “If you fully
obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today,
the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.”
And it is plain and simple, isn’t it?
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