Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Day 10 of 90

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

I had forgotten that was in Numbers. It is such a beautiful passage. But I think that too often we forget what it really means.

The Lord bless you and keep you.  He blesses me all the time. Every morning when I get out of bed, it's a blessing. I am not promised one single day on this earth. So each day that I have is a blessing.
He also keeps me. Keeps me. Hmmmm, here's what I think that means. I think it means that He keeps me close, He takes care of me, He protects me. That is so true, especially if I follow the Bible. He lays out the path for my life in His word. And if I follow Him, he blesses and keeps me.

The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  Wow! Who wouldn't want the Lord's face to shine upon them? I know I do. How wonderful it will be that day when I stand face to face with my Lord and get to see His shining face. I imagine it won't be so much face to face as me lying flat on my face, but I want that moment, I long for that moment.
Gracious, what a word. I think of someone who is kind, compassionate, someone who thinks of others even when others are not kind and compassionate. And isn't that just like my heavenly Father? He still showers me with love and kindness and compassion, even when I don't deserve it. He is gracious.

The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. Imagine the Lord turning His face toward you. Joined with the previous verses, this is another blessing. He is turning His face toward me and giving me peace. Not world peace, not the peace that others think of, but the true, everlasting peace that can only come from Him.

This whole blessing is tied up as the most marvelous gift ever in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, ever part of this blessing is fulfilled. Isn't that amazing? God gave us a gift, the gift of His Son, the gift of everlasting life.
While it is a free gift, there is something we must do. We must believe Jesus, believe that He is our savior, believe that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He is the only way to heaven. We have to accept Him, and obey His commands.