A Blessing That Blesses
I remember my prayers before I went to bed when I was a kid…. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take”. Looking back, it seems a bit negative to speak about dying as a kid. I had similar prayers that I would say before each meal. I think the repetition of these simple prayers carved out space inside my heart that is still there today. Over the years, I keep surrendering other parts of my heart that I have “taken back” as my own.
The Israelite nation were God’s chosen people. He spoke into them. He set the bar high for them. He made a way for them to walk with Him. As I journey through this part of the Old Testament Law, I’m profoundly thankful for Jesus. He made a way for me to walk with the Lord and it’s not nearly as cumbersome and hard as it was under the old law. I was reading about the Nazarite vow and realized the commitment of these individuals was at a whole new level of commitment. The author ends the discussion of the Nazarite vow with a simple priestly blessing that blessed my soul again this morning. I’ve heard it for years, but I love hearing it again. Check this out……
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:
24 ‘May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
25 May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’
27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”(Numbers 6:22-26 NLT)
This blessing warms my soul and refreshes my spirit.
I’m a huge fan of The Brian Buffini Show – a FREE weekly podcast for self-improvement and personal growth. He ends each podcast with an “Old Irish Blessing” that I enjoy as well. Check this out…
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
I want the Lord to hold me.
I want the Lord’s favor to continue upon me.
I want the Lord to smile upon my life.
I want the Lord to give me His Peace.
Pressing On!
Dwayne