‘He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples.’ Matthew 14:19 NKJV

The Bible says that Jesus ‘took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.’ (Matthew 14:19 NKJV) Notice the progression in this story: the loaves were taken, blessed, broken, and then given to others. That’s how God works! In order to bless others through you, He will take you, bless you, break you, and give you to others.

Paul had to be broken of pride. ‘I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh… Three different times, I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time, He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NLT)

So, if you have a ‘thorny’ person or situation in your life, God wants you to experience His grace and power through dealing with them. Paul finally reached the place where he could thank God for his ‘thorn’. The Bible speaks about ‘the sacrifice of praise to God.’ (Hebrews 13:15 KJV) When you’re willing to sacrifice in order to have something, it means you value it enough to pay the price for it. Do you want to walk in God’s power? To experience His blessing? Then, thank God for your ‘thorny situation’ and embrace the breaking process He is taking you through today.

SoulFood: Heb 11:17–13:25, Mt 15:1–9, Ps 28, Prov 5:3–6

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©