It is such an enjoyable thing to buy gifts for those we love.  It’s a demonstration of the fact that we know them intimately enough to know what they would enjoy.  It shows them we think of them and consider the details of their personality and desires just to discover some little gem that will bless them. 

Well, I have a friend who lives out of town and every time a birthday or holiday rolls around, I can’t wait to think of what gift I will pick out for this person.  This past year, I picked out several items and couldn’t wait to deliver them.  However, our visits didn’t work out as planned, so I decided to hold onto them until they could be delivered in person.   Now with Christmas around the corner, I thought of a few more gift ideas.  So, I bought them and added them to the pile that is just waiting for the chance to be delivered.  In this process, I wondered “how large will this pile actually get if our visits keep getting delayed?!”

Then I pictured our Heavenly Father doing the same for us.  He picks out and collects gifts for us every chance He gets as a token of His love for us – gifts specific to us.  Gifts of grace, of strength, of breaking strongholds, gifts of revelation of Himself and gifts of intimate moments together.  And maybe we’re in a place for awhile where we’re not able to receive His gifts.  Maybe we are in a place of trial or sin, a place of mourning or tribulation.  And in that season, maybe the gift would be lost in the midst of our troubles.  So, He stores them up! He holds onto them and waits for the day we are ready to receive all the gifts He has planned for us.

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:7

“That is why God says, “When he went up to the highest place, he led captives into captivity and gave gifts to people.” Ephesians 4:8