Why Others Are Blessed And Not Me?

Yesterday, we began to examine various life situations due to which we get offended with God:
1. When prayers are unanswered
2. When suffering strikes the righteous
3. When expectations go unmet

Moving onto other instances:
4. When loss strikes without explanation - Job lost everything and being unaware that it was Satan’s strategy, Job would have considered it to be God who was letting him suffer miserably; to the extent that Job said, ‘though He slay me, yet I will trust in Him’. Although it’s a positive affirmation, we know that it’s not God but the devil who intends to steal, kill and destroy lives. (John 10:10)

Grief often triggers deep spiritual offence. People feel abandoned or betrayed by the God they trusted. When problems hit one after the other, we tend to wonder why such things happen when we haven’t done anything wrong.

5. When God asks us to do something that we don’t like - It could be something that we need to obey or something that we have to change or do in our lives. Naaman was an exceptional army commander who was held in favour because of the victory God had brought him; but he suffered from leprosy. When he heard from the Israelite young girl who served his wife that there was a prophet in Samaria who would cure him of leprosy, he went to Elisha with the king’s recommendation. But when Naaman arrived at the door of Elisha’s house, Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s ego was hurt because Elisha did not meet or heal him as he had expected. Here, we see that ego can be a prime reason for us to get offended.

However, Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Similarly, Jonah was angry at the Lord’s compassion over the people of Nineveh. That is what Jonah tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. He knew that God being a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love would relent from sending calamity. When God saw that the Ninevites turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened; and that became an offence to Jonah.

6. When God blesses others and not me - Envy or comparison can breed resentment when others receive blessings we longed for. God’s delays are never denials; longer the wait, greater the blessing!

Genesis 4:3-5 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Rejoicing in others’ blessings/ goodness opens the door to our blessings. As a pastor, I’ve had to travel long distances to lay the foundation stone and dedicate houses while we as a family were living in a rented house. But that never caused jealousy or distress in me. It’s just been 4-5 years since we shifted to our own house. If we wait for the Lord, He will surely bless us in His time; and His timings are perfect!

7. When God’s Word confronts personal sin
Genesis 4:6,7 - Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Hebrews 12:11 - No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Genesis 4:11,12 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

In other words, through this offence, Cain became a vagabond.
The greatest sign of humility is teachability. We must be teachable, although it may cause us pain/ discomfort. When one refuses to be corrected, they become offended, walk out from church and live as spiritual nomads.

Proverbs 15:32 (NLT) If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.  

Choose to deal with yourself, bring in the necessary changes to be aligned with the Word and by doing so, you will flourish and be established in life!