Moments of Wishing Blessings on Each Other

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Moments of Wishing Blessings on Each Other

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

(Numbers 6: 24-26)

Every time we say "God bless you" we know that there is so much more than what we pronounce. All of us, throughout our lives, have been wishing thousands of people the blessings of God in abundance. If I look back, I could say that on the one hand, I have been blessed so much by the heartfelt wishes I have been receiving from relatives, friends and colleagues, and on the other hand, I have been privileged to wish thousands of people the blessings of God.

During my first year as a doctoral student, I had one of my fellow researchers, a good friend of mine from Spain, who was celebrating her birthday. I went ahead and wished her, just the usual way how I used to do for years; "Happy Birthday! May God bless you..." She was taken aback, surprised and was thrilled to hear the second part of the wish. "Eby! I have never had people wishing me that way... It is so nice to wish someone God's blessings on their birthday, isn't it?" she expressed. Probably that was the first day that I became very serious about what I meant when I said those words of blessings. Every time we greet someone with a good morning, a happy new year, a happy birthday, or any heartfelt wish for that matter, we have already wished them God's blessings. And when we go ahead and voice "May God bless you," let us remember, that we are praying for God's blessings in their life.

I have found answers to one question that has made me think more than I should have. And the answer was found in Numbers 6: 24-26. For the first time, I realised the weight of wishing someone God's blessings. I realised that when we say "May God bless you" we are saying “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6: 24-26). Isn't that so wonderful that we are able to share this blessing with loved ones around us? Thus, when we wish someone God's blessings we are praying that the Lord will bless them with all the good things in life and keep them safe from all dangers. We are also wishing them that the Lord's light and His everlasting guidance will continue to guide them. We are praying for God's grace to sustain them in their lives. We earnestly say that the Lord will turn His face toward them and meet their needs. And we pray that there will be peace within their borders, peace in their families, and peace in their hearts. This is what we receive and give when we go through moments of blessings. It is not just a wish! It is voicing God's blessings in other's life. In the same way, it is not just receiving wishes from others, but these are moments when others pray earnestly for us.

Today I pray that the Lord will help us to be His ambassadors who bless others through our prayerful wishes and seek God's blessings in the wishes we receive. These are not just words. These are the proclamation of blessings in human lives. Let us wish more people in our lives, but as we do, let us remember that it is not just a phrase, but a prayer that carries this many blessings. May the power and blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us and help us to give and receive blessings in this precious life God has blessed us with.

May God bless you!

Yours in Christ,