The Blessing
You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
The Bible I own is pink. It was a gift from my (then) 6-year-old and 5-year-old sons for Christmas in 1995. In a house with a bunch of boys, it may have been the only pink belonging I owned.
I was flipping through it this evening looking for inspiration for the devotional that was due earlier today (yep, I’m behind on this deadline). As I looked through the pages, there are hundreds of scriptures that have been highlighted or underlined. Corners of pages have been turned down as a reminder of passages that spoke into thousands of moments of my life. Sticky notes with the names of people as a reminder to pray for them. Some of those people are still walking the earth and some have been called to heaven. The recollection of them brings both smiles and tears. The young man taken far too soon. The widow who speaks sweetly of her husband and still misses him. The mother who dreaded her children leaving for college but allowed herself to be led to a profession of service to others. The friend who was not afraid of admitting to addiction and has experienced a healing that can only come from the hand of the Lord. What a blessing to have the opportunity to remember them – to love them – and to pray over them.
As I continue to turn through the pages of scriptures, a note card breaks free from the inner binding of my Bible. The scripture on the card is Numbers 6:24-26. It was the prayer that covered each of those mentioned above. In the middle of their turmoil, this was often the only light at the end of their life-challenge I could envision for them. It was a blessing of promise and peace – and those two blessings are often what gives those struggling enough strength to take the next step forward.
Who in your life needs the gift of encouragement from you? Who needs a note or a phone call telling them you are praying for them? Taking five minutes out of your day to bring a smile to the heart of someone walking through grief or emotional pain will be the best time investment you could make – not only for them, but for you.
My prayer for you is that you allow yourself to be led by God to speak the blessing of peace to someone who needs to hear it from you.
The Blessing by Kari Jobe