I was recently talking with a mentor and boss who is very godly and successful, regarding prayer and blessings. He mentioned in the car while I was driving him that people in the Bible did not ask God to bless them if they did not have the hearts to obey. Neither Abraham, Moses, David, and even the NT believers rarely prayed for blessing prayers, without informing God that they were ready to surrender and live and die for His glory!
I look at the Lord’s Prayer, David’s Prayer, and even the Song of Moses and they rarely treat God like a genie or prosperity Gospel machine. These prayers ask God’s will be to done, focus on rejoicing and exalting in the Lord, and glorifying Him. So the application in all this is: dont just ask God to bless you! Ask Him to give you the grace and strength to obey Him!
The the blessings will come, like a flood and more than you can handle (example Malachi 3:10 on tithing) Blessings are conditional in the Bible, and obedience is the key. And even if God did not bless us, we can say Lord we still rejoice in You, as the Apostles and Job and even Jesus did.
All in all, obedience is greater than sacrifice, and God’s commandments are not burdensome, but life-giving! Lets commit to obey God and His Law and Word and ask for His grace to be able to do so! That is real, eternal, life-satisfying blessing! Shalom!
brother steve kang 