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The Lord Bless You
Andrea Lende • May 21, 2020
Numbers 6:22-26
The Lord Bless You
You can also listen to this meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Lord-Bless-You-eebqmt
Daily Word:
Numbers 6:22-26
“And the Lord said to Moses,”
“Say to Aaron and his sons, This is the way you shall bless the Israelites, Say to them,”
“The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;”
“The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;”
“The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).”
What a wonderful blessing the Lord gave to Moses for His people.
We still say this blessing today.
My father is a pastor and I have heard him close his services with this passage countless times over the years.
It has always brought me comfort.
I have read this before in the book of Numbers, but today in my reading it was as if I hadn’t read it there before.
I couldn’t have told you that this is where it was first said.
But it was said by God.
The Lord wanted to bless His people in the beginning and He still does today.
Such a beautiful blessing.
The Lord said that He wants to watch, guard, and keep us.
Why, then, should we fret?
It seems I spend a fair amount of time worrying or fretting.
This verse tells me that I have nothing to fear.
The Lord wants His holy face to shine over me.
I imagine His face as bright as the sun shining down on me.
This verse says he wants to enlighten me - give me spiritual knowledge.
How wonderful is that?
I desire more spiritual knowledge for we war not with the flesh but with the spirit.
The more the Lord shows me about His Spirit, the more I am able to fight the enemies’ attacks.
He also wants to cover me in grace, kindness, mercy, and give me favor.
I only need to receive these wonderful gifts.
And that is the tricky part.
I need to put fear, doubt, guilt, and shame aside so that I can accept these beautiful gifts.
We need to be able to receive these wonderful gifts from the Lord just as we would receive them from a close friend or loved one.
Lastly, the Lord said His countenance would be upon me.
Countenance means the face of God.
So, literally, the Lord turns His face to us and gives us peace “(tranquility of heart and life continually)”.
Isn’t that what we all want and seek?
Peace and tranquility.
We seek peace in recreation and meditation.
Parents desire peace in the household.
We strive for various things in life that we think are going to give us peace.
However, we are granted it and have it available to us at all times.
It is part of what the Lord wants to give us.
We need only to receive it.
Today I choose to receive the Lord’s blessings of protection, spiritual enlightenment, grace, mercy, favor, and peace.
May you find that the Lord desires to give you protection, spiritual enlightenment, grace, mercy, favor, and peace as His special blessings.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for all of Your wonderful blessings. Thank You for showing me that You desire to bless all of Your children including me. Help me receive Your blessings and gifts of protection, spiritual enlightenment, grace, mercy, favor, and peace. Keep me from feeling inadequate so that I am able to fully receive Your blessings. Forgive me for all my shortcomings and sins and help me receive all that You have to offer. Just as You gave these blessings to the Israelites, You desire to give them to me. Thank You, Lord, for Your merciful and loving Spirit. Thank You for all You do and all You are. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can be more like You, Father. May I be more gracious and merciful to others. May I commend others for their good works and give them favor to those around them. May I offer peace to all those who You put me in front of. Help me to bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: My blessings are for all My people and for you, My child.
Response: Undeserving of Your blessings, Lord, thank You, most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.