The Prayer of Blessing (Numb 6:22-27)
Here are fifteen guidelines to show us how to pray for God’s best blessings on others.
"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 face upon you and give you peace. So they will put my name on the Israelities and I will bless them." (Numb 6:24-27)
1. RECEIVE BLESSINGS - God created us to receive His blessings. It is a thrilling realization to think that God wants to favor us with His supernatural blessings. Paul wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessings in Christ." (Eph. 1:3) For non-christians we pray that the Lord will open their heart and mind to be receptive to God’s blessings that are found in saving faith through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
2. BLESS GOD - God knows that unless we are blessed we will not be able to fully praise, worship and reverence Him. We cannot offer God anything of worth unless He gives us something first. We love because He first loved us. (I John 4:10) God is the initiator of blessings but He expects us to bless Him in return as the giver of every good and perfect gift. Begin your prayers with praise of God as the one from whom all blessings flow. Sing the doxology occasionally in your devotions. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above you heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen"
3. OBEY GOD - It is a command that the Lord gave to Moses, "Tell Aaron ’this is how you are to bless the Israelities." We are ordered to bless other people and not to criticize or correct them first. Many relationships are ineffective because people fail to first bless, favor or provide something positive to others. Do not think we can expect to continue to be blessed unless we are willing to trust and obey the Lord.
4. BE A CHANNEL OF BLESSING - God told Abraham that he would be blessed but also that He would be a blessing to the nations. (Gen. 12:1-15) The Lord wants us to be a conduit of His blessings to all the 24,000 people groups of the world, not just to those in our immediate family or neighborhood or workplace.
5. INVOKE GOD FOR BLESSING - "The Lord bless you." Too many people are trying to get blessings from power, position, pleasure, people, performances or preoccupation with earthly concerns. Realize what David wrote, "Whom have I in heaven but You. And besides you I desire nothing upon the earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psa 73:25,26)
6. GOD’S BLESSINGS PROTECT - "May the Lord keep you." He who keeps Israel will neithe slumber or sleep. The Lord watches over you by day and by night. Without the protection from the Lord the watchman stays awake in vain. (Psa 127:2)
7. GOD’S BLESSINGS ENERGIZE - "May the Lord make His face to shine upon you." Praise God that He energizes you when you are in close communion with Him through a knowledge of His attributes. Keith Green wrote, "Oh Lord, You are beautiful. Your face is all I need. For when your eyes are on this child. Your grace abounds to me."
8. GOD’S BLESSINGS ARE GRACIOUS - "And be gracious to you." This word depicts a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give to one who has a need. Even more important than good health, we need the blessing of God’s grace - for God says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We need our Lord to graciously forgive us. That’s what the work of the Son was all about. When Jesus came and lived and died in our place, He graciously provided us with God’s forgiveness. Every day he pleads for us with his blood and righteousness. Every day that God listens to our prayers then, God is being gracious to us.
9. GOD’S BLESSINGS ARE ADEQUATE FOR OUR NEEDS - The Lord’s blessings are graciously sufficient for all our emotional, mental, social, physical and spiritual needs. Do not let people compartmentalized your understanding of God’s blessings to only the spiritual aspects of life. The Lord’s blessings provide us with everything that we need for life and godliness through the true knowledge of HIm who calls us by His own glory and excellence. (2 Pet. 1:3,4)
10. GOD WANTS TO BLESS US ALL - Some people think that the Lord only blesses special-spiritual individuals. Notice that God commanded Moses to direct His blessings to all the people. Do not be discriminatory in your blessings to only your favorites.
11. GOD BLESSES US BY KEEPING US - This word KEEP basically means “to exercise great care over.” Like when you take care of and tend things such as a garden, a flock, or a house. It may involve guarding against intruders, like the cherubim guarding the way to the tree of life - or gatekeepers or watchmen. God used it in his injunction to Satan not to touch Job’s life. That’s one thing we need in life - for the Lord to keep us. It wouldn’t matter how much gold we had - how many friends we had - or how great of insurance - if we didn’t have good health. If God didn’t bless us with his protection every day - we wouldn’t be able to enjoy any other physical blessings. This protection is generally ascribed to God the Father.
12. GOD REINFORCES HIS IDENTITY IN US THROUGH BLESSING - It is an exciting realization to know that the Lord identifies as His own whom He will care for, guide and restore. He is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13,14) Let us allow the King to rule, reign and recognize all that we are in Christ through a thankful heart. Take an inventory of all the many ways that God has blessed you in Christ. Learn to live up to your full identity by appropriating the fact you are His victorious conqueror who overcomes evil with good.
13. GOD WANTS HIS BLESSINGS SPOKEN - Do not hesistate to encourage, bless and pray for one another out loud. OUt of the abundance of our heart the mouth speaks. It is the Lord’s blessings that people want to hear. Memorize and meditate on scripture. As you sow that will you also reap. Be a channel of the blessings from His word as you speak to one another in song and hymn and spiritual songs.
14. GOD BLESSES US WITH PEACE - When you are pray a blessing on people it instills in them a peaceful, easy feeling that will not let them down. They gain a sense of God’s calm, steadiness and confidence that allows them to weather any storm of life. How often is it that those who are granted riches only end up worrying about them. As Ecclesiasties 5:12 says, the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. What a blessing it is when the Holy Spirit enables us to believe that our LORD will take care of us - it gives us peace. What a blessing it is - when the Holy Spirit assures us that our sins our forgiven - that God loves us? How many millions of people are there in this world that are driven by either hatred, fear, or guilt? They don’t know how to cope with guilt, so they abuse themselves. They don’t have the peace of knowing they’re forgiven - so they beat their bodies and try and do all they can to get to heaven. What a blessing it is when the Holy Spirit assures us of our status with God!
15. BE AROUND PEOPLE WHO BLESS OTHERS - Ask the Lord to help you to associate with people who are blessings instead of cynical, abusive or angry individuals. God multiplies people who are channels of blessings because they best portray His power, purpose and plentiful mercy. Do not be critical or ready to be obejctional. Stop thinking you always have to look at the part of the glass that is empty instead of the part that is full. You will become like the people you associate yourself with. Praise God that He tells us pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and peace with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22-24)
Song: Make me a blessing. Make me a blessing. Out of my life may Jesus shine.
Jacob and Gideon saw the Lord’s face, they realized what a privilege and blessing it was to see such glory. When Peter, James and John were able to see the glory of the Lord - it was a special blessing. It made them thankful to be given such a view.
We don’t need to search endlessly or do one thing for his blessings. They will come to us through His Word. But isn’t it a great thing? Isn’t it just a great thing what blessings we live with every day through the Word? We don’t have to search for our security in guard dogs or security systems - we know the LORD and his angels are protecting us. We don’t need to hear people flatter us or have someone buy us things to feel loved. We know God loves us.
credit Joel Pankow for his reflections on this passage (sermoncentral.com)
