“The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;”
[Numbers 6:25]
If I had to send a blessing to you, it would be this one from Numbers 6:25. It is precisely what I hope your days and nights will be filled with: God’s shining face upon yours. As women, it’s important to speak blessings to one another. Society tears us down, our fears do too. We are hindered by the watered down image of womanhood on television, in magazines and on the internet. You, beloved, are more than what is fashionable, you are more than a particular body type, you are more than your sexual capabilities, you are a glowing example of God’s love.
The full context to verse 25 comes from an exchange between God and Moses which highlights the blessing God wanted Moses to impart on his brother Aaron. We know, from scripture, God and Moses had a beautiful relationship filled with faith growing experiences. When Moses was first given his calling, by God Himself, he was honest about his shortcomings and human flaws. And still, God assured Moses and walked him through each test of faith strengthening him despite his lack. Their relationship was an example of God’s willingness to bless Moses for being obedient not perfect.
So God commanded Moses to tell his brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons:
“The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
This passage provides us, the modern woman, with a few key takeaways about God’s character and intention:
- God will use us to bless others
- Those who bless God will be blessed
- God gives peace when He lifts us up
Sometimes, the lessons of the Bible are lessons we learn and relearn again and again. It seems simple, be a blessing and be blessed, and yet it’s easy to trip over the concept. Sometimes we want to receive a blessing BEFORE we give a blessing.
Moses is a great example of what it means to let God shine through your insecurities and inabilities so that others can see God for themselves. In establishing these blessings to his brother, Moses was repositioning himself. Throughout Exodus, God used Moses to be a mouthpiece, He used Moses to be the leader. But this day, was the day Aaron and his sons would rise to receive a blessed Word from the Lord!
Today, allow God to shine through you by blessing another woman. Maybe there is a woman on your job, in your youth group, or in your life who needs encouragement. Bless her! Do not delay. God may be using you to encourage her to keep pressing on. When you, like Moses obey God, you too will be blessed. Some call it “paying it forward”, the Bible calls it being like Jesus.
God bless YOU!
#tobepraised
