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May the Lord bless you from Zion; May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, All the days of your life. [Psalm 128:5] It is the promise of blessing that comes to you as you step into a new year. And when ‘bless’, has become a term used by one and all, as a child of God the scriptural understanding of the blessing of God, as it is proclaimed in the scriptures, becomes vitally important. The Aaronic blessing over the people of Israel, the people of God, that is you and I today, says it all so wondrously, The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. [Numbers 6:23-26]
He blesses you by enlightening you. It is what happens when He makes His face shine upon you, for He is the true light that shines in the darkness to dispel it and flood your life with the light that is life. It is how it all began, as the book of Genesis declares, as God spoke light into existence. And the apostle Paul connects with the truth of it to declare the nature of the blessing of God that God has promised to you in the coming days of your life.
The God who said, ‘let the light shine out of darkness’, has shone in our hearts, giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [2 Corinthians 4:6] And the outworking of it would be manifested in you as God’s, a ] Revelation knowledge b ] Resurrection power, and, c ] Rest and safety.
Blessing is the knowledge of God that causes light to shine in your heart, as the eyes of your heart are enlightened to know the hope for which He has called you. It is by knowing Him, that you will know your God-given purpose in life, that will lead you to your godly destiny, the best that God has already prepared you, that you may walk in it. He has not called you to a run-of-the-mill existence, but to something higher, and greater, far above what your mind can imagine. It comes as you know Him, by walking with Him, in a personal relationship with Him. And it is His blessing, even as Enoch walked with God, to be recorded as one who never saw death, in the midst of a long winding genealogy, a list of births and deaths of God’s people, His chosen tribes. To know Him is the first step in experiencing the blessing of God. And it is why the prayer of apostle Paul, even as he neared the end of his life’s journey on earth was to know Him that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, That by any means possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. [Philippians 3:10,11] And it is very true that you come to know Him more in the challenges of life and experience the power of His resurrection. And this is eternal life; that they may know You, the One True God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. [John 17:3] The blessing of God that is knowing Him, empowers you to enter into the God kind of living, reigning in life in Christ, even here on earth, and experiencing Him, for it is connected to knowing Him. It is His blessing upon you, as you begin this new year.
It was a light brighter than the sun that blinded him, as the Lord met Paul on the road to Damascus, to turn him around to walk in the path appointed for him toward his glorious destiny. The two simple questions that the astounded Paul asked were, ‘Who are you Lord?’, and, ‘What do you want me to do, Lord?’. And the God who has given this new year to you, reveals by it, that it is by knowing Him that you will know His good purpose for you this year. And on knowing and experiencing the Lord, Paul is then able to confess boldly, ‘I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is well able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day’. [2 Timothy 1:12] The more you know Him, the more you will experience peace and rest in your life’s circumstances. It is the blessing of God. And it is why disciplining yourself to study the word of God, and through it, know Him more and more, and experience Him, or taste and see that He is good needs to be the priority in your life. The more you experience Him, the more you will reflect Him in your words, and in every aspect of your life. It will see a multiplication of grace and peace in you, that can come to you in no other way. [2 Peter 1: 2] It is how Abraham after walking with God was able to experience the blessing of His peace in his challenging journey to the mountaintop with his son Isaac. And he was able to counter Isaac’s query, which would have certainly caused him much pain, saying that God would take care of the provision for the sacrifice. And God certainly did. It is what He will continue to do even in your life, for He has provided all things for you thus far. The Lord has led you wondrously, and it is simply because you are blessed by God.
It was the story of the people of Israel – who moved from being slaves in Egypt, for generations, to have their own country. The impossible happened, by the Lord’s resurrection power, by the light of His face upon them, His blessing. [Psalms 44:3] Getting older in your life, can lead to a limited perspective concerning what you can and cannot do. It is when the blessing of God’s unlimitedness makes the impossible, possible, when the light of God’s goodness begins to shine on you, that you may say – This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in my eyes. For, what you cannot do in your own strength, He does in and through you, and, the result is that He gets the glory, while you get the blessing. He is not restrained, or limited by your weakness; rather it is an opportunity to demonstrate His unlimitedness in you. It is all about Him, and your relationship with Him! May this be your prayer, therefore, unto the Lord, your God – O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us O Lord, for we rely on you, and in Your Name, we come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You. [2 Chronicles 14:11] When you are His child, the battle is the Lord’s!
There are many who say, ‘ Who will show us any good?’ Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!’. [Psalm 4:6] Who will bring him good times, none could be the opinion of people around you, as they look down upon you. It was the psalmist’s experience at a difficult time in his life. [Psalm 4:6] But God has His own will, and His own way, to bring good things in your life, in your marriage, your job, your church, your relationships, when people may say it is too late. He will cause His face to shine on you. It is the blessing of God upon you. Then this will be your joyous declaration – You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. [vs 7] The world around you may have its own criteria; but your perception needs to be different this year, to be joyful because there is a personal relationship with God in you. And the result of it will be the blessing of God that is, His face shining upon you, leading to an incomparable rest in you, to say- In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; You alone O Lord, make me dwell in safety. [vs 8] Your sleep will indeed be sweet from this day on, for the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is the God who watches over you, to bless you, as you know Him more and more, to experience Him, and by it, a peace beyond understanding, as you lie down and sleep, resting in the truth that you dwell in safety. May we give thanks unto the Father therefore, bowing before Him in humble adoration, for His blessing upon us for a hope-filled future, as He causes His face to shine upon us, acknowledging His faithfulness that will see a fulfillment of His promise in our lives. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
