May 16

Morning

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. — 1 Tim 6:17 BSB

Our Lord Jesus is always giving, never withholding His grace for even a moment. As long as there remains an empty vessel of grace, He continues to pour out His blessing. He is a constant sun, always shining; He is the manna that never ceases to fall around the camp; He is the rock in the wilderness, always pouring forth streams of life from His pierced side. The rain of His grace never stops falling; the river of His mercy never stops flowing. His love is an unending wellspring that overflows continually. Just as the King can never die, so His grace can never fail. Daily, we gather the fruit of His mercy, and daily His branches bend low to our hands, laden with fresh blessings.

Every day of the week is a feast day in His presence, and every year is filled with celebrations of His love. Who has ever come to Him and left empty-handed? Who has ever left His table unsatisfied? Who has ever leaned on His chest and not felt paradise in their soul? His mercies are new every morning and fresh every evening.

Who can count the multitude of His blessings or even begin to list the favors He bestows? Each grain of sand that falls from the hourglass of time is followed by a thousand mercies. The wings of our hours are adorned with the silver of His kindness and the gold of His love. The river of time, flowing from the mountains of eternity, carries with it the golden sands of His favor. The stars themselves are but messengers of a far greater multitude of blessings. Who can measure the dust of His gifts to Jacob, or number even a fraction of His mercies to Israel? How shall my soul praise Him who daily overwhelms us with goodness and crowns us with loving-kindness? O that my praise might be as unceasing as His bounty! How can my tongue remain silent? Awake, O my soul, and sing! “Awake, psaltery and harp—I myself will awake early!”

Evening

and he said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Dig this valley full of ditches.’ For the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’ — 2 Kgs 3:16-17 BSB

The armies of three kings found themselves in desperate need of water. God was about to provide for them, and His prophet proclaimed the coming blessing. Their helplessness was evident—not even the mightiest warriors could bring rain from the skies or draw water from the wells. In the same way, God’s people often find themselves at the end of their resources, learning the hard lesson of where their true help comes from.

Yet, even in their helplessness, they were to prepare in faith for the blessing to come. They were instructed to dig ditches to receive the water God was going to send. Likewise, the Church must prepare itself through prayers, actions, and varied ministries to receive the blessing God is ready to pour out. We must dig the trenches, and God will fill them. This is done in faith, with the confidence that God’s blessing is on its way.

When the water came, it arrived in a mysterious and silent way, not like the dramatic rainstorm in Elijah’s day. God is sovereign in His ways and works according to His own will, not our expectations. We are called to receive gratefully, not to dictate the method of His provision.

The abundance of water met the needs of all the people, just as God’s grace meets all the needs of His Church in response to prayer. Beyond mere provision, victory was granted to the armies of the Lord. What am I doing for Jesus? What ditches am I digging in preparation for His blessing? O Lord, make me ready to receive the outpouring You are so eager to give.