I do love to receive God's blessings.
It is delightful to pray for something, or to beg for God's intervention, and then to see His answer arrive, just in the nick of time.
However, I will be honest:
I do not want God's blessings at the risk of losing my fellowship with Him.
Psalm 106:15 "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."
The children of Israel were notorious for begging God for His miraculous deliverances again and again; and quite often God came through for them.
Oh, they sang His praises as soon as they were delivered:
Psalm 106:10-12 "And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise."
But it did not take them long to start their grumbling and complaining as soon as they had a need:
Psalm 106:13-14 "They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert."
It is then we see God gave them what they wanted, but He took away something in the process.
The verse above says that He put in their souls a "leanness".
LE'ANNESS, n.
1. Destitution of fat; want of flesh; thinness of body; meagerness; applied to animals. 2. Want of matter; poverty; emptiness; as the leanness of a purse. 3. In Scripture, want of grace and spiritual comfort.
I do want God's blessings, but do I want to give up His comfort?
Would I trade "things" for His presence in my life?
Do I beg for His gifts and deny His companionship?
I don't think that I am any better than the children of Israel. I am just as selfish and self-centered as they were. I can very easily focus on the blessings rather than the Blesser, the gifts rather than the Giver.
It is a fault I want to avoid. It is something that I want to be aware of in my spiritual life.
I would like to praise the Lord for His goodness, as does the Psalmist at the beginning of this chapter…recognizing the greatness of His Person more than the greatness of His physical blessings.
Psalm 106:1-5 "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?
Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance."
Obtaining Mercy 