In every way – blessed.

Don’t let go, don’t give up. You are on a journey toward a beautiful experience of looking back on your life and seeing the Lord’s blessings. This is the truth of the opening verse of this chapter,

“Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.” (Genesis 24 v 1)

Not mostly. Not at every moment.

But in every way. What does this mean?

It isn’t a life without difficulty.

Without going into every detail of Abraham’s life, suffice it to say he had known barrenness, grief, separation, trauma, and his own sin and human weakness. Yet at approximately 140 years old, with another 35 years before he dies, he is ‘very old’ and ‘the Lord had blessed him in every way’.

What does it mean?

Was it his wealth? His blessings were tangible for sure. Possessions, land, the promised Isaac, God had been faithful. Yes. But there was more than that.

Was it who he had become? We have read of a man who, out of fear, lied about his wife. He became a man who could trust God even at the eleventh hour when raising a knife on the altar of his son. He had become aligned with God’s purpose for his life.

His story was definitely about delays, which must have felt like a denial. It was about diversions that actually turned out to be a wonderful destination. It was about losses and heartache that opened a new chapter of joy for him.

Sometimes understanding is only in looking back.

Being blessed in every way doesn’t always mean getting our needs met. It isn’t about being protected from every hurtful experience.

But it is about what we learn and who we become.

So that towards the end of our lives, after experiencing the good, the bad, and the ugly that life throws at us, everything is woven together in a beautiful tapestry, and it can be said, ‘the Lord has blessed us in every way.’

You may not feel blessed right now. Your life may be in the waiting season. You may have made mistakes and wonder how you can find your way through now. Hang on! Blessing isn’t always apparent in the present. This struggle will end. God is faithful. He will bring you through so that when you are very old, others can look at you and see the blessing of the Lord, in every way.