“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)
If you’ve attended the Vineyard for any length of time, you may recognize the above Scripture as one Pastor Brian speaks over the congregation as he closes each service. I must confess, at times this blessing merely signals the end of service prompting me to fantasize about what’s for dinner after church.
Recently however, I gained a new appreciation for this Scripture as I listened to Joyce Meyer preach a series on this Old Testament blessing. Joyce shared the story of a woman who approached her feeling dejected because she didn’t have a “big testimony.” The woman felt she didn’t measure up to other Christians because she’d lived an uninteresting life with a happy childhood; encountering no “catastrophic challenges” to overcome. She believed her simple life story wasn’t worth sharing.
Joyce encouraged her by saying “You DO have a testimony – it’s that the Lord has kept you! You have no idea what kind of problems God has diverted away from you throughout your lifetime!”
I realized I rarely give this Scripture its proper due. I pray over my children daily – sometimes even pray this Scripture, but I rarely think about the depth of these words. After hearing this story, I now focus on the power behind the words of Scripture during my prayer time, asking God to KEEP each of my family members in whatever way they need to be kept for that day.
Just last week within minutes of praying this blessing, my husband phoned me to tell me our daughter had dropped her car off at his work place. He works in the parts department at a car dealership, so kids (or their spouses) needing a car fixed isn’t unusual. He shared that the back tires on her car were in such horrible shape due to a broken rear mount – that the tires were shredded to pieces on the inner rims. Honestly, it was an absolute miracle she’d made it into central Phoenix from Northwest Peoria (and on the freeway at a high rate of speed, no less) without having a catastrophic accident.
His warning and relief over her safety moved me to tears. I’d JUST prayed for each of my children and grandchildren, calling them by name, asking God to “bless them and keep them.”
I can’t always know what my children will need to be kept from – but God knows. I know they will all face challenges and trials throughout their lifetimes … even though as a parent I’d rather they are kept from difficulties. Trials and difficulties are frequently the things in life that mature us and help us to grow in our faith with God. But still, as a mother and grandmother — I WANT God to “keep them” safe above all else.
God KNEW what my daughter needed to be kept from on that particular day, even if I didn’t know exactly what to pray for her.
Non-believers might argue “coincidence.” Perhaps. I choose to believe that the Word of God is alive and powerful!
If you ever find yourself uncertain over what to pray for a friend or loved one, why not start simply with Lord … KEEP them!
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 (NIV)
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy K.
Thankful for all the people God “keeps.”
Thank you for your blog…I prayed this over all my children then went to work. While my daughter was sleeping the globe from her ceiling fan fell off and broke all over the floor. She slept through it and was unhurt. The fan is right over part of her bed. Praise the Lord for his Keeping of my daughter today! Amen!
Amen! I will always forever be grateful for the prayer groups who kept me in pray during my 7 years as a missionary. God kept me from many things. Thank you for your blog post.
I love that Brian completes the service with these simple but powerful verses.