And Give You Peace

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:26)

Num. 6:22-27; II Sam. 7:27-29, Ps. 4:6, 67:1; Prov. 10:22; Rom. 4:7-8; Eph. 1:3

What Is God Saying?

This verse concludes the three-part benedicti0n of Numbers 6:22-26. It is known as the Priestly Blessing. It stresses the relationship of the almighty God with His children. The blessing invoked by this benediction extends to far more than material benefits. The words "keep you," "be gracious to you," and "give you peace" transcend all material considerations. They are blessings of the Spirit. They do not come and go with the pendulum swing of fortune and prosperity. Keeping us from evil and close to Himself is the graciousness of God and the basis of peace.

How Does This Apply To Us?

This benediction has been a source of strength and encouragement across the centuries. It will be around tomorrow. Count on that. The Lord who has blessed is the Lord who is blessing and will be blessing to the end of time and forever. Our great need is to look in His direction. Then, we will see His countenance lifted with grace and peace.

Pray With Me

Help me, Lord, to be in the place that You can bless. Help me to be in the Spirit that You can bless. When I hide from You in the fear that sin creates, I cannot expect to know the "lifting up" of Your countenance. When I walk in paths not of Your choosing, I cannot expect to know the gift of Your peace. When I turn toward the darkness and the bondage of self-styled liberties, I cannot expect to know the joyful freedom that Your blessing gives. The lifting up of Your countenance, Your power to see me as I am, is all of Your goodness and mercy.

Lift up Your countenance upon my need and supply me with the riches of Your mercy. Lift up Your countenance upon my many failures and give me the grace to try again, this time resting on the promises of Christ, who has already torn the scepter from the hand of evil and has turned it into victory. Lift up Your countenance upon my willfulness and change it to willingness by Your power. Lift up Your countenance upon what might have been, and let me see what it still may be.

Because You lift up Your countenance upon the weak and the wandering as well as on the strong and the stable, because You lift up Your countenance upon the potential as well as the actual because You lift up Your countenance upon the unlikely as well as the promising, the losers as well as the winners, the broken as well as the whole, there is assurance of Your peace.

In the name of the uplifted Savior who gives us peace when our countenances are lifted up to Him. Amen.

Moving On In The Life of Prayer

In prayer, we are still. In being still, we know that God is God. In knowing God is God, this ancient benediction comes alive- we are kept close to Him, He is gracious to us, and we have peace that passes all understanding.