He Will Bless the Work of Your Hands... But What Is in Your Hands?

 It is scriptural to say, “He will bless the work of our hands.” However, it is wrong to think that blessings will simply appear on their own just because God has promised them.

While it is true that the work of our hands needs to be blessed, blessings only come where there is something to bless. In other words, no blessing comes out of nothing. This also means that we should not focus only on the blessings we want to receive from God, but also on what we must do in order to receive them.

So when you say, “God should bless the work of my hands,” what exactly are you asking Him to bless? Do you fold your hands and expect miracles to happen?

Yes, we cannot rule out the fact that God is God. He can act beyond our understanding. He is not limited by our thoughts or experiences. However, for every blessing, there is an expected contribution that the promise can act upon.

Just as Newton’s First Law of Motion states, “An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force.” In the same way, to receive the blessings prepared by God, there must be an action that the blessing can act upon.

If you recall the story of the wedding at Cana, the water that was turned into wine did not come from empty pots. The servants filled the pots with water as Jesus instructed, and it was that water that later became wine when it was served (John 2:1–11).

Similarly, consider the wife of one of the sons of the prophets whose husband died, leaving behind unpaid debts. Her two sons were about to be taken by creditors. When she cried out to Elisha, the first question he asked was, “What do you have in the house?” (2 Kings 4:2).

At first glance, one might wonder what she could possibly have that would be sufficient to offset such a debt. All she had was a small jar of oil. Yet, as instructed by the prophet, she borrowed empty vessels and began to pour. Those vessels were filled from that single jar until there were no more containers left. The oil stopped only when there was nothing left to pour into. If she had borrowed more vessels, she would have had more oil (2 Kings 4:1–7).

This pattern appears again when Jesus fed the multitudes, He did not lift an empty basket. He lifted five loaves and two fish, and from that, everyone ate and was satisfied, with baskets of leftovers remaining (Matthew 14:13–21).

So here is the salient question: when you ask God for blessings, what exactly do you want Him to bless? What is the blessing meant to act upon in response to your faith?