Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17
God’s gifts don’t always come in fancy packages. His gifts don’t have all the bells and whistles of modern day packaging, with all the tissues, bows and ribbons, making it look so significant and valuable!!
When you get real jewelry as a gift, many times it comes in a smaller, simpler package. It does not have a lot of fluff, but when you open it, you truly see the treasure in the little box. That’s how God’s gifts come. They look small and simple, but once you open up the gift, you find a treasure that is truly the good and perfect gift that the Lord has sent!!
His ways are not our ways!! How the Lord operates in our lives is so different than how the world tries to get our attention. Have you ever thought about the fact that the Lord is not a big advertiser? If He really wanted to make himself known, He could have used a variety of ways to show Himself, thereby bringing attention to Himself. But that’s not who our God is. As a matter of fact, many times, His ways are quiet, gentle, and unassuming. We could so easily miss them or dismiss them.
When the Israelites were hungry in the desert, God sent them food from heaven, they called it manna which means, “what is it?”. This so called food was a thin wafer that didn’t amount to anything. For more details see Exodus 16:13-16. If they had been given any other option, they would have completely ignored it. They might have even stepped on it as they moved on their journey, but they couldn’t because they were desperate for food. So they called it, manna asking, “what is it”; because it seemed insignificant and it didn’t look like any food they were used to.
The Lord does the same thing in our lives. He whispers something in our ear like, go and talk to the sister in the church and reach out to her, and we can find all kind of excuses as to why we don’t need to go. All along there is a blessing in obeying His voice. He could be trying to free us from our insecurities, or the other person may have a need that He wants to bless them by you reaching out to them. But, because His word comes softly, often not how we expect it, like manna, it doesn’t seem that important to obey or to obey right away. When you think about the Israelites in the desert, they were sustained by “what is it?” for decades, and even their children and their babies didn’t lack anything eating the same thin wafer.
Walking with God will require faith. In a world that is a great advertiser of goods and many times over-promises and under- delivers, God does the opposite. He comes quietly and gently. He asks us to do something not telling us “why”. Then, when we do it, it delivers joy, peace and growth in our faith. However, we must be in a spiritual place to see it. He always delivers!!!
There are other times that on initial review doesn’t appear to be a good gift. This could be a relationship that ends, a job loss, any other tough or sad situation. This is when a deeper faith is required. It demands a trust in God that what He has brought into our lives will still work for His good because what He brings is good and perfect. He doesn’t make mistakes and He doesn’t change His mind. Joseph’s pit turned into a situation where he could help the very brothers who threw him into the pit. David’s service under Saul and fleeing whenever he was chased by Saul caused him to write some of the most beautiful and comforting Psalms. Paul being imprisoned for sharing the gospel led him to write many of the New Testament books that help us to grow. Sometimes the benefit, or the beauty, of the gift is not seen for many years that is why the scripture tells us to think of the gift as “good and perfect” because in the current time, it does not look good or perfect!
Are there situations or people in your life that you don’t consider as a good and perfect gift from God, but you know the Lord has allowed them in your life for a purpose? Pray and ask the Lord to change your heart and your mind about the situation. Trust that while it’s difficult or painful, He has brought this situation for good, and it will produce good fruit in your life and/or those around you.