My husband and I have dealt with a few unfortunate annoyances lately, none of them major but of course all of them involving things that will cost money. I was driving to the grocery store earlier tonight, feeling angry and even a little resentful that we were dealing with these issues all the while cursing my stupid chronic condition that causes me so many problems. Then, in the midst of the produce section at Kroger, it hit me: conviction. I have been living with a sense of entitlement that it pains me to admit. I was giving God the proverbial fist shake when instead I should have been giving Him gratitude. 

Here’s the thing: nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians are entitled to prosperity. Nowhere in the Bible does it even say we are entitled to our health. The truth is, we are entitled to NOTHING. God never promised that we’d live in the lap of luxury and have healthy bodies and never face trials. He may choose to give us those things, or He may not. Either way, He is still God. And He does give good gifts. He gave us everything by giving us His Son Jesus to be brutally murdered and then gloriously resurrected so that we, vile sinners that we are, might one day live with Him.

Tonight I am reminding myself of this great truth of the gospel: He owes us nothing, but He gave us everything. Everything we will ever truly need. He didn’t promise us freedom from trials, but He did promise us His presence.

O Lord, be near.

Psalm 145:18-19: The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.