The Blessing and the Release
“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’” —1 Kings 18:41 NKJV
The blessing is stored up for you.
I'm talking about the blessing with your name on it.
The blessing has been teetering and tilting, as though the vessel containing it is about to pour out everything it has been holding.
You have been patient. You have prayed. You have fasted, stood, persevered, served, poured into others, and even found reasons to rejoice while you waited. God has heard every cry—including the ones that never escaped your lips.
Now your arms are wide open. Your heart is filled with gratitude. You are ready to receive.
Pause and reflect as the blessing begins to trickle down.
It may not look like much at first, but something within you recognizes the sound. Like Elijah, you hear the sound of an abundance of rain before the clouds appear. You sense that the atmosphere is changing. The season of waiting is giving way to the season of receiving.
You pause and reflect on how far you have come and how far God has brought you. You think about the prayers He answered, the doors He opened, and the strength He gave you when you didn't know whether you could take another step.
With a grateful heart, you brace yourself for the cloudburst.
But then Wisdom asks a question:
Are you really ready?
Are you really ready to receive?
Have you surrendered the pain of that disappointment?
Have you forgiven—by faith?
Sometimes we stand with our arms lifted toward Heaven while our hearts remain tightly wrapped around an offense. We want to receive what is ahead of us without releasing what happened behind us.
But what if the final preparation for receiving is releasing?
Forgiveness doesn't mean the offense didn't matter, and it certainly doesn't erase what happened. Forgiveness doesn't excuse the person who caused the pain, but it releases your heart from the offense while giving you permission to establish whatever boundaries wisdom requires. Forgiveness declares that you are no longer willing to allow yesterday’s injury to occupy today’s heart.
Sometimes forgiveness begins with a feeling of freedom. At other times, it begins with nothing more than a decision. I know this because I've got receipts.
On the day I learned through Facebook that my son Curtis was dead, I had a moment with God. Within minutes, I made the decision to forgive everyone involved. I've had to remind myself from time to time of the decision I made that day. Forgiveness is something I continue to walk out--choosing to be slow to take offense and quick to release it. It's still a choice.
If you're struggling to forgive and release the pain so that you have room to receive greater peace, say this:
Lord, I don't feel ready, but by faith, I release this into Your hands.
That decision may have to be repeated. The emotions may take time to follow. But faith allows us to move in the direction of freedom before we feel completely free.
God’s blessing is not a payment we earn by forgiving. He is not holding something over our heads until we perform correctly. Forgiveness simply makes room within us. It loosens our grip on the pain so that we can recognize, receive, and carry what God is pouring into our lives.
Perhaps the blessing has already begun to trickle.
Perhaps the sound you hear really is the abundance of rain.
Perhaps the question is no longer whether God is ready to pour.
Perhaps the question is whether you are ready to let go.
The blessing is stored up for you.
The blessing with your name on it.
It has been teetering and tilting, about to be poured out.
Open your heart. Open your hands. Release the disappointment.
And prepare for the rain.
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WISDOM SPEAKS
You cannot fully embrace what is being poured into your life while tightly holding what God is asking you to release.
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