SEARCHLIGHT
How can you sincerely express gratitude to someone who has blessed you? What can you do to show just how thankful you really are?
SCRIPTURE
“Boaz replied, ‘I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with the people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’” Ruth 2:11-12
“The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.” Ruth 3:10
SPOTLIGHT
Have you ever said these words to someone who came into your life and blessed you beyond your imagination, “I don’t know how to ever repay you,” or, “I’ll never be able to repay you for all you’ve done for me.” Because this person did something so kind and generous for you, it would be impossible for you to ever repay him/her.
That was my experience. Donna and I once faced an unknown future. God had been blessing our ministry in a church that had many problems. It began to experience wonderful spiritual, numerical and financial growth. Unfortunately, some of the problematic people were not ready to change. It was so intense, I felt God’s direction to resign as pastor without having another church to go to. Now the question before me was, “How will I support my family?”
Unexpectedly, someone who knew the crisis we were facing offered to pay our home mortgage until we sold our home and also offered to provide us with a place to live, along with food, until we got our feet on the ground. For six months, our family experienced this blessing/miracle, until God directed us to another church. When we were saying goodbye to our benefactors, we had to tell them that we would never be able to repay them for all their kindness and generosity. What we could do is pray blessing over them for having been a blessing. Was that really enough in comparison to what they had given? It would be easy to conclude that it was not enough, until you understand what the prayer of blessing is, and that you can pray blessings over someone.
In the moving love story of Ruth and Boaz, two times we see the principle of “bless people who are a blessing.” Boaz did this over Ruth. [See the above Scripture.] First, he prayed God’s blessing over Ruth for having been such a great blessing to Naomi. Second, he prayed blessing over her for wanting to marry him, rather than a much younger man.
Whenever someone blesses you, do as Boaz did. Pray blessing over any person who is a blessing to you. Ask God to greatly bless that person for being a blessing. Do the three things Boaz did;
#1. Ask God to repay the person. Be very sincere when praying this prayer. Let it flow from your heart filled with gratitude. Let that person know you are praying blessing over him/her.
#2. Ask God to richly reward that person. You need not try to repay that person who has blessed you. Probably you will never be in a position to personally do that. God can be the great rewarder.
#3. Pray that the person will enjoy the refuge that only God can provide. God is the giver of provision, protection and peace. Ask the Lord to guard him/her just as a mother bird would guard its nest of baby birds.
After having been assisted on the telephone with some issue that a service representative has rectified, I will say, “Thank you so very much and God bless you!” Often this catches the person by surprise, and a moment later I will hear the response, “And the same to you.” Sometimes I will do it when I have been assisted in a store. What I am doing is praying God’s blessing over that person. This is the very best way to say, “Thank you!” The person does not realize it, but I am praying for them at that moment. Every time a person sneezes and I say, “God bless you!” I have just prayed over that person that he/she would come into a close, meaningful relationship with the God who created them and loves them.
Bless any person who blesses you. What you are doing is repaying and rewarding that person, in a no higher way, because you are praying, he/she will experience a relationship with God.
SOMETHING TO DO
#1. Recall a time in your life when you were blessed by someone and you knew that there was no way you could ever repay that person. Maybe it was someone who helped you when your car broke down. Perhaps it was an anonymous person who gave you some money in a time of need.
The best thing you can do is to pray blessing over that person. Take time to do that right now.
#2. Remember that Jesus took the prayer of blessing to another level. He said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” [Luke 6:27,28.] Ask God to reveal how you can apply this to your life.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, from this day forward, may I never miss a moment to bless someone who has blessed me. May my spirit be filled with so much gratitude that I will pray a prayer of blessing over that giving person. And teach me how to pray blessings over my enemies. AMEN!