Psalm 66

What else is to be concluded from this psalm? After all, I’m sure you read this section: “Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” (vs 8-12)

Yesterday, we explored how God is always seeking to give us more. He is a God of abundance. And today, David reinforces that idea in verse 12 when he says “you brought us to a place of abundance.” But, did you notice how David came into God’s abundance? The road to His abundance went through… a prison! The road to His abundance came with burdens on the back and a journey through fire and water.

As we look back at Scripture, we see that this is so often the case—that God’s greatest blessings start out looking like curses. To me, the cross is the best example of that. And since this is Good Friday, it’s a great day to remember that what the disciples thought was a sickening end was only a glorious beginning. What looked like a fatal curse was a life-giving blessing. It was the worst thing they ever could have imagined, but in time, it revealed itself to be the best thing for all of mankind and the universe.

The road to God’s abundance often goes through a prison. His blessings often come disguised as curses. Since we know that, how wonderful it would be to be able to praise God for all the curses in life, knowing that His blessings are contained within! Whenever we are confronted with a prison or whenever the road we’re on takes us through fire or flood, we should remember that it ends in God’s abundance. Just as Joseph’s road took him from the pit to the prison and eventually to the palace, so our journey with God will end in bounty—it’s guaranteed!

So, the next time you see a “curse” headed your way, take a moment to thank God. Then, watch for the blessing to unfold!