And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: “This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: ‘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’ ” Numbers 6: 24-26, NKJV.
Heavenly Parent, we are truly grateful for Your abundant love and mercy toward us. We thank You for the blessings You pronounce upon us daily. As we enter the study of Your Word, we pray that You will continue to bless us; for Christ’s sake. Amen.
Blessings are means of empowerment. I believe that they are affirming, life-producing, and life-changing. Have You ever wondered why God allowed Israelite fathers to pronounce a blessing upon the firstborn of every family? Let me share with you some thoughts that I received during my meditation upon this subject. A blessing is pronounced upon someone; usually with the laying on of hands. I often wonder if we are aware of the power of our words, and of our touch. In both the art of speech, and the act of touching, reside the power of life and death!
Some of you may remember the study they did some years ago, in hospitals, where they would allow volunteers to hold and cuddle premature babies whose thriving seemed to have stagnated. Signs of improvement appeared almost immediately! The babies began to gain weight; they became more alert, and just showed signs of overall, improved, well-being. It was also discovered, that during pregnancy, the soothing rub of a mother’s hands across her tummy, was all it took to pacify the agitation of her unborn child (The Magic Of Touch, pp. 20-39)!
I believe a touch well given, is a non-verbal way of telling someone that we care about them, that they matter; and that, is very empowering, but even more so, it is life-promoting! Hugging, has also proven to have both a therapeutic, and soothing, effect upon people. And what can we say about massaging? Is it any small wonder that many people fall asleep while receiving a massage? The relaxing, and renewing, effects of a massage, have been just what some people needed to settle their nerves after a difficult day, and wind them down for a peaceful night of rest.
Our words are a source of life and death. We read in Proverbs 18: 21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Do not ever minimize the power of anything you have to say. Rest assured that it will produce a harvest. What we must determine, by our choice of words, is the kind of harvest it will bring forth. Will somebody be better because you opened your mouth, or will your words dig their graves? The Bible declares that it was “by the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of [H]is mouth…For [H]e spoke, and it came to be; [H]e commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33: 6, 9, NRSV). Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every time we opened our mouths somebody’s life was re-created, or somebody received healing? By God’s grace let us determine, that we will see in everyone, a candidate for eternal life, and that our words will be a means of helping them toward the pearly gates!
Dear LORD, please “let the words of [our] mouth, and the meditation of [our] hearts, be acceptable in Thy sight O LORD [our] strength and [our] redeemer” (Psalm 19: 14). Amen.