Morning

March 1

Numbers 6:24-26 ²⁴"' "The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

What an awesome blessing prescribed by the Lord Himself. This is His desire for His people. He wants to bless us! To the Hebrew, this blessing meant having every good thing in every way both physical and spiritual. It meant one would be happy knowing he had all he needed. (Phil 4:19)

"Keep you" means to protect physically and spiritually. What good is being blessed if we are not kept in that way? "Make His face shine upon you" is to be pleased with you, to show you kindness. His eye is upon your circumstances. His ear is open to your prayer. His mouth is speaking to your situation. "Be gracious to you", we have learned from Christ how greatly we need the grace of God. How willing He is to show us that grace! It is grace that makes the rest of the blessing possible. "Turn his face toward you", to see your need, hear your prayer, be mindful of you. Is your face toward Him? "And give you peace", (shalom) to be in harmony with the will of God. It is to be in step with your created purpose, to have peace with God through the blood of Jesus. The opposite of peace is to be in turmoil and war within and without. God's desire for us is peace, and so He sent us the Prince of Peace.

This is the blessing the priests were to pronounce over the people of God. It is as good for us today as it was for them 3500 years ago. Man has changed his world, but his heart has the same needs. Let the LORD, Himself, speak this blessing upon you and your family.

Action: As priest of your household, pronounce this blessing over your family.