MESSING UP THE BLESSING

Ever thought maybe--just maybe--God got it wrong?

"Of course not. His way is perfect!" Well, sure it is. And thank you for that Sunday-School-Answer reply.

But are you sure about that? How about this then:

Have you ever attempted to manipulate His hands to try and remedy what you thought just might be a mistake?

You're not alone.

Jacob was dying and asked his son Joseph to bring his grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim to him so that he could speak a blessing over each of them. Manasseh was the firstborn, so Jacob should have put his right hand on him and given him the greater of the blessings.

But he didn't.

Instead, he CROSSED HIS HANDS and put his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son, and administered the greater of the blessings to--well, in Joseph's mind--the wrong son.

"When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head, he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. Joseph said to him, 'No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.'

But his father refused and said, 'I know, my son, I know" (Genesis 48:17-19). Jacob went on to say that Manasseh would be great, but Ephraim would be greater.

If I'm honest, I know there are times in my life when I thought the Creator of the universe needed my intervention, almost as if He had acted inadvertently and I was swooping in to fix the situation.

I mean, clearly that job was meant to be MINE, right God? Did You drop the ball on this one? What gives?

Oops, I don't think You got the memo that we were reeeeally hoping to be pregnant by now, LORD. Now we're going to have to read every blog post about increasing our chances of conceiving because You messed up here.

Didn't You plant this dream in my heart, God? Well, You kind of seem to be dragging Your feet in bringing in about, so now I'm gonna make it happen, Cap'n."

We grab hold of the hands that fashioned us and formed the heavens and try to manipulate them. We assume He's just messing up the blessing.

But can't you just hear the words "I know, my child. I know"? They are the reassurance of the One who is all-knowing and all-seeing. If His hands rest somewhere to give a blessing, it's because He knows. If His hands are seemingly too still, it's because He knows. There are no errors in His ways, no messing up the blessing.

He knows.