Forty Days of Promises: Blessing His Children
Thursday, May 14
God promises to bless His children
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26
All promises are fulfilled in Christ.
Please read: Mark 10:13-16.
Our New Testament reading today is one that always makes me smile. I love the image of Jesus surrounded by the children who had gathered around Him. The lesson that He wanted his disciples to learn was that the only way to enter the kingdom of God is to have the attitude of a child. I am very familiar with the attitudes of children. Besides being a parent, I taught 2nd grade for 15 years. Young children are by nature eager to learn, eager to please and willing to obey. Unless something in their lives has hurt them or jaded their trust, they have an innate openness that makes them teachable. That is how God wants us to be. We are His children and He has so much to teach us about Himself, about love and sacrifice, about His kingdom and our relationship with Him. The question is, do you and I have the attitude of a child when it comes to our faith?
Most of us know the famous blessing from Numbers 6 almost by heart, but what does it mean when it says, “the Lord make his face to shine upon you”? The ancient Israelites understood this. They knew that when God’s face (His countenance) was toward them, He was watching over them and blessing them. When God blessed them, they felt His peace.
In today’s uncertain world, do you have God’s peace? With the pandemic tearing apart our normal routine, are you struggling to find your footing? It is so easy to lose your inner balance if you aren’t sure where God is in all this. But whether you feel it or not, God’s face is constantly toward you. He is blessing you right now. Trust Him with the innocent attitude of a child. Allow Him to re-shape your faith to be more sensitive to His Spirit. If you do that, God promises that He will bless you and you will experience His incredible peace.
For further reading: Psalm 4:6-8, 44:3; Deuteronomy 2:7, 12:7; Jeremiah 17:7-8; 2 Corinthians 9:8
Dear God, I am so grateful that You fulfill Your promise to bless me and give me Your peace. Please draw me close when I lose myself in anxious thoughts. I know that You will never abandon me. So, I come to You, like a child, open to You and ready to learn. Each day I seek Your face. I know you are blessing me, abundantly, and keeping me safe in Your arms. In You I find my peace. Amen.
