TD Jakes - How to Receive the Sure Blessings of God
These are times of confusion; these are times of perplexity, even beyond that which the writer wrote about at the time he wrote it. Yet the days we are facing today would rival those faced back then with plagues, diseases, torment, political mayhem, and controversy. People say these are external issues, and you might not think they have internal weight, but they do. They affect us in the deepest parts of our being. We don’t have to work in Washington to be affected by politics; they impact us. There’s a foreboding feeling hovering over us most of the time, or there’s a feeling of frustration, celebration, or discontent. It affects us.
If we are placed in an atmosphere of discontent, it subconsciously accumulates alongside the confusion and complications of our own lives. They come together and clap their hands, and my head is caught between the handclaps. The pressure outside, coupled with the pressure inside of me, makes it a tough time. When you add it all up, you notice little subtle things about yourself that are starting to change. Maybe your eating habits have started to shift: some people lose their appetite, some gain it, some crave comfort foods, and some can’t eat at all. Some experience indigestion, nausea, or insomnia; they do not rest well or sleep soundly. Some become moody, cranky, and hard to deal with.
There’s no way you can have all that storm on the outside and not rock on the inside. It’s going to show somewhere. I know some of you say you are such Christians that it doesn’t bother you at all, and your confession is so positive you have no distractions. But if we were to measure it, your body is structured in such a way that it cannot remain oblivious to stress. It has sensors and signals throughout its biological composition that respond to stress factors. Stress was designed for our survival in primitive environments, allowing us to fight or flee. Adrenaline is released when we’re under stress, and when that adrenaline isn’t used, it builds up and manifests as stress. Stress expresses itself in a multitude of hideous ways.
Now let’s delve deeper, because what we must understand if we’re going to explore this text is that God is not speaking here simply for us to gain a deeper understanding of theology. No, if you read the text carefully, you’ll see it’s not preoccupied with theology; rather, it focuses on our psychology. God wants us to have an anchor for our souls. It’s amazing to me that God, who runs the universe, who sits on the circle of the earth and holds all power in His hands, is concerned about my emotional well-being. In the text, God says, «I learned something from watching you: the giving of an oath is for you the end of all strife.»
So God said, «I thought I would do like you and swear.» He said it created a dilemma for Him. He intended to swear so you would relax and trust Him in turbulent times; however, swearing became a problem because He looked for someone greater than Himself to swear by. Finding nothing greater than Himself, He decided to swear by Himself that His word was true. Good God Almighty! You know you’ve got clout when you can swear by yourself. God said, «I put myself on the line.» What about that? «Surely, blessings I will bless thee.» The first time God says, «Surely blessings I will bless you,» He says it to Abraham, giving him a promise and entering into a covenant with him. Notice what He says: «Surely I will bless you.» That’s one tense. «I will bless you,» so you’re already blessed just by hearing it.
«Surely blessings I will,» in the present tense, «and multiplying I will multiply thee.» He’s saying this to Abram, that Abraham will realize a portion of that blessing in his lifetime, but some blessings God has for Abraham are beyond what he has time to receive. I want that to sink in: God has more blessings than Abraham has life. So God said, «I have so much to give you that you’ll die before you get it all.» Therefore, I must pour it out on your children, on your children’s children, and on your children’s children’s children because you don’t have enough life to match the level of blessings I have for you.
Here you are praying about what’s happening now, and I’m talking to you about what’s next. We’re entering into a conversation between God and His friend Abraham. He was the friend of God, which means he had a relationship that Jesus describes: «A servant knoweth not what his master doeth, but a friend knows what the messenger does. Henceforth, I call you no longer servants, for a servant knoweth not what his master does, but I call you friends.» Friends means I tell you things I don’t share with anybody else. So God whispers to Abraham, «Hey man, let me let you in on a little secret: I have more blessings than you have days. I have more healing than you have disease. I have more life than you have time. I have more prosperity than you have stress to receive. I have things for you that you will never finish harvesting; they will pass to your children and your children’s children and your children’s children’s children because I’m God.»
If a man blesses you, that’s one thing, but if God blesses you, that’s an eternal blessing, an immutable blessing, an everlasting blessing. We’re witnessing this conversation that God wants Abraham to have. He says, «I don’t want you to be worried about it.» God states, «I’m worried, I’m worried about you being worried. I don’t want you to be worried about it; I want you to know that I’m going to do it.» So I wanted to end all strife by giving an oath. I wanted to relieve the pressure so you could sleep tonight. I wanted to bring you to a place of rest so you could find comfort tonight.
«I will bless you,» let’s settle it—there’s no argument about it. «I will multiply thee,» so you shouldn’t spend another night questioning, «Will I bless you?» You don’t have to ask me about this anymore. «Surely, blessings I will bless you.» If I sat down right now, I’d preach; if you can just chew on the fact that God promised to bless you, that God promised to multiply you, then why are you worried? Why are you sad? Why are you discouraged? Why are you full of anxiety? Don’t you know that He watches over you? If He cares for the sparrow, and if He painted the colors of the lilies, then God is already aware of what you’re going through.