THE BLESSING

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26, NKJV

God is for you. I can't think of a more powerful, more hopeful, more truthful statement to declare! We’re never without hope. We can believe God for the next moment. We can trust Him for what we need. The circumstances around us might feel uncertain. But we can stand on the certainty that God is faithful. He's not surprised. He's not shaken. And He won't leave us or forsake us. That's what the blessing is about. It expresses the heart of God over us and then our responding to it and receiving it with an amen.

Friend, this is the blessing from God over us. He loves us. He is with us. He is for us. And in a season of such fear, loss, and disappointment, I'm so thankful we have the opportunity through these scriptures to declare truth into the atmospheres of our hearts, homes, and nations. These scriptures are the desire of God's heart for His people.

What more do we need? If God of the universe, the Creator of all things, is favorable toward us, then we need nothing more. God only wants the best for His children. His desire is to bless us. God's countenance is the expression on His face when He sees us, and it is a permanent smile. He is not disappointed or angry as some think. God is pleased with us regardless of what we do or don't do.

We are in Christ and no longer under the curse, and so we are in His eternal favor. God does not measure His love for us by our actions or words. He does not have a measuring stick that He pulls back when we mess up. We are in Jesus, and that is who He sees when He looks at us.

Remember that when Jesus was on the cross, the Father had to turn away from Him, because at that moment Jesus took our sin upon Him, which made Him sin. God, being a holy God could not look upon His own Son in that moment, and because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God's eye shifted from being on His Son to looking upon us in Christ Jesus.

We are His righteousness, and God's love focuses on us. He is delighted with His children and treats us with kindness and goodness. When God's face shines upon us, it is His favor and acceptance. Let's open our arms and tell God we receive His blessing!!!

Father, thank You for this day and for waking us up and setting us on our way. Lord, let Your abundant blessings flow like a river over us and our family today. Lord of every good and perfect gift, Your blessings are too many to count and too wonderful to fully comprehend. Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we can share Your blessings with others today. Lord, use us to share the blessing of Your mercy and grace with others today.

Father, we love You. Amen.