The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. - Numbers 6:24-26

Have you ever wondered what God’s attitude toward you is? I think many of us see God as a harsh figure who cannot ever be pleased. In fact, our view of God is often defined by our relationship with our own father. If he was distant, we see God that way. If a strong disciplinarian, we often see God that way. If abusive, we can have a hard time trusting God. If warm, connected and gracious, we tend to see God that way.

But how does God see us and what is His heart toward us? What does He want for us? Nowhere are the answers to those questions more clear than in the Levitical blessing, that is, the blessing that God commanded the priests in the Old Testament to pray over His people. This blessing was authored by God for us. It unpacks His heart for us. It is my favorite blessing in all of Scripture.

“The Lord bless you and keep you.” Here is God’s heart. He wants to bless you. To know Him is to know the source of all blessings and the One who wants to pour out those blessings on you. God’s heart is a heart of blessing. Deep in our hearts we say to ourselves, “I am not worthy of His blessing” and we often doubt that He would bless us. Here is the deal: We are not worthy, but He died to make us worthy, and whether we believe it or not, if we are Christ followers, He longs to bless us. He is in your corner and my corner. That is His heart. 

To reinforce that, the second part of this blessing is “The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.” How often do you think of God as gracious? Graciousness is kindness along with a desire not to cause hurt. It is courteous, kind and pleasant. His graciousness draws us into His presence, drives out fear and we experience His amazing kindness to us.

And then the third portion of the blessing: “The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” That is an extraordinary statement. You would think that the Lord of the universe is way too busy to pay close attention to us. Not so! The blessing asks that the all powerful, all sovereign, all holy, all knowing God literally turn His face toward us, notice us, cheer us on in our faith, pay close attention to our needs and prayers. Read these last sentences again and consider that God is looking your way in order to help you, bless you and meet your needs because of His love for you.

And part of that blessing is peace given us by God. It is His peace in times of anxiety, uncertainty, fear, sorrow, or whatever situation we find ourselves in. His gift to us is His peace. That is something the rest of the world does not have. This is God’s heart for you today!

Memorize this short blessing and meditate on it in those times when uncertainty and anxiety fill your heart. Thank God for every blessing you experience through the day, knowing that His face is turned toward you in love, compassion and care.

Father, thank you for every one of your blessings in my life. Thank you that your  face is turned toward me always. Thank you for having a heart of love and graciousness for me and my family. Today, I ask that your peace would flood my heart. Amen.