God Bless You!

Have you noticed how all too often, we hear people use the words ‘God bless you’, without much thought to the God of the blessing.

To bless someone, is far more than saying a few nice sounding, but empty words or offering kind wishes. It should be more than a socially acceptable response to a sneeze. When we bless someone, we are calling down God’s favour and goodness upon them in full expectation that God will hear our request and be with that person. There will be a benefit to them and to you.

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,

But a good word makes it glad. – Proverbs 12:25

When we bless God’s people, we are agreeing with heaven, because it is God’s will that His people are blessed.

There are many blessings toward God’s people throughout the bible. God instructed Moses to teach Aaron and the priests how to invoke a blessing on God’s people in the book of Numbers.

 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.” ’ – Numbers 6:22-26

This blessing has become very popular lately as it forms part of the words of a great worship song called ‘The Blessing’.

This is not intended as a general blessing for all people, it was only meant for God’s people. Only God can pour out blessings on people and He ordains how this is to be done. In this case, it was from God, to His people via Aaron and the priests, but this is just one example of many. How we bless and who we bless goes much wider. Paul encourages us to bless those whom we might feel justified to be upset with.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. – Romans 12:14

We should still be those who pronounce blessings on others today. Even when someone treats us badly, we are not to return evil for evil, but instead we should pronounce a blessing.

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For

“He who would love life

And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil,

And his lips from speaking deceit. – 1 Peter 3:8-10

It’s exciting that today, we can be agents of blessing and peace on behalf of God to this generation of believers. When we do this, it will lift the heaviness of anxiety and depression off those we speak to and also off us.

So I want to leave you all now with this blessing:

“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 countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”