May Yahweh bless you and protect you. 

Numbers 6:22 CSV

Through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to correspond with Christian friends from various countries. I’ve particularly noticed that they always include a blessing at the beginning and the end of their correspondence, whether written or emailed. My typical American reply seems shallow in comparison to the richness of theirs, yet attempting to add a benediction always seems somewhat contrived. 

I recently came across one of Scripture’s most beloved blessings found in Numbers 6. God gives Moses a blessing/benediction for Aaron and his sons to pray over the Israelites. It grabbed my attention and has held it for several weeks. It begins with May Yahweh bless you and protect you. I can bless others with my actions, words, or my finances, but to be blessed by God is something totally different. God’s blessing encompasses everything related to life. For Israelites, blessings include numerous descendants, a prosperous land, good health, and long life. God’s protection includes deliverance from danger and oppression, safety from their enemies and God’s abiding presence.

God not only told Moses and Aaron to ask for these very things, but also gave them the ability to invoke the power of God upon the Israelites. Aaron and his sons had been set apart as priests over the people of Israel, responsibilities which would later be assigned to the Levites. As Christians, we too have been set apart through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We possess the power to invoke God’s blessings and protection over loved ones or strangers. This ability to invoke God’s blessing is not only entrusted to us but also commanded of us. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Father, I ask that you alert me to when you want to bless others through me using tangible means or by seeking your blessing and protection upon their life through prayer. Keep me ever ready and available to be used by you.

Linda L.