The blessings in store for you
God has blessings stored up for you. He may be waiting for you to "cast your net off the right side of the boat" (the side He tells you to; John 21). He knows where the fish are. He can put a coin in a fish's mouth! Just remember not to be discouraged or envious of others when they're blessed: It's right before the flow of a new major gift that the greatest angst or opposition or lacking often arises against us (as a test).
Were the fishermen not woefully short of fish?
Yes. But they were near to Christ and they went from empty nets to one so full it should have burst (but did not!). They listened to the Him. They cast in the right direction. It was one of His last lessons before He ascended.
The right direction is your purpose in life, your mission, your port, your destiny.
It is lack of hope and faith (underline hope) that often prevents a release of stored blessings. There is the "night of no fish." In the darkness, despair erases faith.
It's also envy: We look at others and may be sad when we still have an "empty net" and they get something special -- a big catch. We act as if that special "something" -- the gift, the blessing, they have received, their catch of fish -- should have been for us.
If that happens to you, just remember that it wasn't meant for you. It didn't have your name on it. In fact having it may even have been a stumbling block for you: slowed down your pursuit of true purpose in life. You'll never find joy in what was intended for another. Live life as it unfolds. "Your ways are not God's ways (Isaiah 55:10).
Don't worry; God won't run out of fish! He has endless such blessings, as a preacher preached the other day. He is waiting for you to be glad for others and rejoice when they receive what is intended for their lives. There are blessings with your name and no one else's on them.
It is when you are headed in the right direction -- in the direction of your mission, and pure love -- that blessings are most likely to flow, that they are released. God controls the fish. If doors close, it may because going through that "door" would have diverted you from what you are meant to fulfill on this earth.
When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up everything you need for your destiny, the preacher added. It could be a contract, a healing, a spouse; it "has your name on it."
But if you diverge from His design, it won't come right away.
Not that it will disappear; no, it will still be there. But it will be delayed.
Go the right way -- fish off the right side -- and it will come. When blessings arrive, they will be better than you hoped or imagined -- than you could have designed.
Honor God at the right time (which is always) and what He destined for you won't go to someone else. If you are "thisclose" to Jesus, you'll know where to cast your net.
How many prayers in the past, if answered, might have caused you more harm than good -- diverted you from your destiny (possibly from your spouse, children, vocation, and true joy in the end)? Created a storm on the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberius)? A blessing that is not intended for you is a burden. It's awkward. It shines but with falsity -- surface glitz. If it stirs jealousy in you, purify; it wouldn't work in your life (even though it works for another). This was not what was stored for you. It wasn't your "oil" and so it didn't flow (1 Samuel 16).
Prayers denied are because they do not redound to your eternity. Prayers denied are also a blessing!
God knows the strength of your net. He knows the course set for you over the seas -- sometimes rough seas. He knows the capability of your boat and where it should head for port. He knows the weather to come; He knows the crew intended for you; and He alone sees beneath the waves.
[resources: A Life of Blessings]
[see also: 'Your ways are not My ways"]
