reynaldo reynoso (admin)
This is hard. My heart isn’t fully in it but I had to post this for it encourages myself and perhaps it will encourage others.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel . You shall say to them: 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.” – (Num 6:22-27)
These verses from Numbers are located at the very heart of practical education of the Israelite’s lives. God had spoken to Israel and told them how He wants the troops ordered and who was responsible for carrying what of the tabernacle and what trumpets signified what and how the camp is to be kept clean. All of these extremely practical things and dead smack in the center we find the Aaronic blessing.
God knew that the Israelites needed to know all of these things for practical use in their walk towards the Land of Canaan . He ordered the troops in a way to be ready to fight an enemy and to protect the items of the Tabernacle. He specified what is carried how to maximize on the lifting of burdens and exemplify the holiness of God. He let them know how they were to be rallied and what things they were not to forget. This blessing, then, had some practical purpose as well.
For God knew that as they walked through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, that they would encounter moments of serious pain and doubt. Moments where they would be dying from thirst and their children would weep dry tears as their chapped mouths cracked asking their mothers for water. There would be moments that they didn’t know what to do but to keep on walking.
Every now and then, during these times where the people would start losing that sense of security and focused on the darkness of their situation, Aaron would come out and speak to the children of Israel words from the very mouth of God.
?The Lord bless you and keep you.?
The Lord, Aaron would remind them, blesses you and secures you, holds you, and protects you. May the Lord God surround you and hold you, as a father to a son. The Lord God provided a practical means to remember that the Lord is with them during those very tough times.
Last night my dear friend’s father died?cause unknown. Systematic failure of his immune system is as far as the details go. Last night, we began our 4 th miscarriage since my only son was born. My wife is in tears and my heart aches. This morning, my son woke up screaming from pains in his stomach and vomiting. It may be easy for some believers to come up to me and say ?All things work together for good for those in Christ Jesus? but what does that mean to a person who is suffering and things don’t look like they’re working out at all.
My wife had to go to the hospital by herself because we couldn’t take my son out in this condition, so she is away from me in this moment of extreme pain and anguish. It’s extremely hard to bend in worship when you are doubled over in physical or emotional pain. When the spirit is heavy-laden with some matter or another, it is nearly impossible to see the face of Our Lord. One can perfectly understand First Corinthians 13, currently seeing our Savior dimly but one day seeing Him face to face. Until then how our lives are buffeted about and sometimes littered with tears.
Laura, the Lord bless you and keep you! Rey the Lord bless you and keep you!
There are times where we can’t logically focus on how everything will work out for good in the plan of God. Job wept and I’m sure he thought of his lost loved one’s until the day he died. What a God we have who knows that we don’t always understand and honestly, can’t understand. He makes the move forward and holds us telling us gently, that He blesses, He keeps. As we look at Him with our tear-blurred eyes perhaps we’ll see that His face is shining upon us as He lifts His countenance towards us. There is where we find peace.
r