Oh, how we are ignorant of the riches that God has made available to us! How often are these riches right under our noses, but we go it alone only to discover that we had what we needed all along! On a recent trip, my husband and I waited for our seating zone to be announced so we could board the aircraft. The first boarding announcement was for passengers who needed assistance or those traveling with children, followed by military personnel. Then it was the turn of Sky priority passengers and we joked that we may be Sky priority members and not even know it. We typically joke about benefits like discounts, SkyMiles, and other rewards that we may be missing out on in other areas of our lives due to ignorance.
The flight staff began announcements for Zone One, quickly followed by Zone Two. We wondered aloud why our Zone said “Sky” on our boarding passes. I thought that, maybe, after they exhaust the numerical zones, they will begin to call for those with named zones like ours. I was curious about how many other non-numerical zones there were. And then it struck me! We ARE SkyMile members; that is why our boarding passes labeled our boarding zone as “Sky.” Although all passengers on this plane had assigned seats and our seats were still available, we could have boarded and settled in earlier than we eventually did.
Immediately, God drew my attention to the spiritual analogy in the situation. The SkyMile member benefits were available to us while we waited; yet, we were not aware of them. Similarly, the Bible tells us that God has made available to us everything that pertains to life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). He has blessed us with all spiritual gifts in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3); yet, how often do we long for what is already available to us? Just as our SkyMile membership made available to us some traveling conveniences like early boarding and more legroom, God has made available traveling conveniences for our sojourn here on earth.
He is our Peace in the storms of life, our Provider in times of lack, the Healer of our broken bodies and souls, and our Shepherd when we go astray. He is also our Righteousness because we need to be made right before Him, our Defender against the fiery darts of the wicked one and our Guide through the valley of the shadow of death. He has promised that we can abide under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:4) and that we can approach his throne boldly to obtain grace when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16). These are just a few of the provisions he has made available to his children.
In Him lies everything we need in this life and all we must do is appropriate what we need when we need it. We do not have to make this life journey alone, oblivious to the rights accorded us as sons and daughters of God. Where are you today and what do you need the most right now, this moment? You do not have to labor for it or give up your body to be burned for it. Jesus has already paid the price. Believe by faith that the work is finished and that there is no labor left for you, so you can receive all that is already yours!