2 Chron 26:5   "As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success."

  

I would love to turn Scripture and God's ways into a mechanical thing: I seek God so He must bless me. That's an echo of my old self-centred past, liking to be in control. Living with a mechanistic view of God makes me feel that I'm in control, but that's not how it is. God is a person and He chooses what He will do and His choice is not forced by my actions. No, He won't act because I have forced Him!

 

God acts out of His character. He is love (1 Jn 4:8) and so everything He does is love. He constantly wants to bless me; that never changes, it's part of His ongoing desire for me. So what is the link between seeking and being blessed? It must surely be that me seeking Him means that I am more open to hear Him, receive Him, and be guided by Him. And then? And then as He guides me I am led into a good way and success follows.

 

But what is ‘success'? It is to achieve a good outcome. So often we equate success with achieving riches, money wealth, but money isn't the only currency of value. I know of a woman who has a beautiful family of four and although they struggle to get by financially, she is rich in the goodness of family life, something that is so rare today. Yes, she is not financially successful but her riches are of a far more lasting kind. God has led her and she is indeed successful. What a blessing!