God’s Peace Go With You
Wednesday’s Verses:
From Numbers 6:22-27 ESV
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
God’s Word in Numbers has spoken to us of God’s blessings. This was no human wish. It was a divine promise: “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.”
In this blessing, the Lord not only puts His Name upon His people. He guarantees His presence with them. He pledges to be their Light, their Goodness, their Peace.
It was a promise of protection for a pilgrim nation on its way through the desert. And it is a promise of protection for us, as we go through the desert of our days, full of fear and trembling and tears.
These past days, we have seen how fragile our peace can be. Hurricane Melissa has raged across Jamaica, and for some, a quiet summer day has turned into a disaster. And now, violence in Gaza threatens to spill over and become another conflict that will take more lives. The earth shakes, and our hearts are troubled, and we pray for God to hold His people fast in His steadfast hand. And here, in this ancient Word, God is speaking to us: His love is not extinguished by the darkness. “The Lord make His face shine upon you…, and give you peace.”
“The Lord make His face shine upon you”—may you see His mercy, even when the skies are overcast.
“The Lord lift up His countenance upon you”—may you know that He has not withdrawn His face, even when all the world seems to be forsaken.
“And give you peace”—not the peace of the world, which is so easily disturbed, but the peace of Christ, which endures forever.
For us Christians, this blessing has its sure and certain fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In His death and resurrection, God has truly lifted up His countenance and made His face shine upon us. In Christ the Lord, the Father blesses us and keeps us, even when all else is lost. For where Christ is, there is blessing and peace indeed, as Luther said.
Let us pray for those who suffer as a result of this terrible weather and in this human conflict, and let us trust: God has not removed His Name from His people. He has not taken back His blessing. His peace may be hidden, but it is still our sure and certain hope.
God’s peace go with you, and with all who mourn in our day, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Our Father, we thank You that You have put Your name upon us in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Shine Your face, Lord, on those who suffer as a result of this terrible weather—on those who grieve in the path of the storm, and those who live in fear and conflict. Keep us all in Your mercy, and grant us the peace that passes all understanding, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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