Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you ever taken a moment to ask God how He wants you to bless people? Our Verse of the Day is a scripture about how God gave a specific blessing to Aaron and Moses while the people of Israel were in the wilderness.
Here's what it says in Numbers chapter 6, verse 26: "May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace."
It's so difficult sometimes to give someone a verbal encouragement or a blessing when you don't feel like you're in that place for yourself.
Let's paint a picture of the people of Israel. They've just left Egypt—a place of slavery, but also a place of abundance. They had shelter. They had food. They had everything they would need to be taken care of. But they were also in slavery. They were delivered out of that, and now they're in a wilderness, walking toward a promised land that God had waiting for them. They're waiting. They're walking.
Counting in the Wilderness
God has them begin to take account of everyone in their numbers—that's why the book is called Numbers, because we quantify what matters. God wants a record of all the people. While they're counting, He says, I want you to give the children of Israel a blessing. He says this to Moses and has it communicated to Aaron, and it's in the middle of a wilderness. How difficult is it to bless somebody when you're not in the land of abundance you were in a little while back? I find it really difficult sometimes to encourage someone when I don't have everything that I want. I find myself in dry seasons and think, Lord, when are You going to come through for me? He then positions me to speak a blessing like this to someone—which doesn't seem very fair in my heart. But I have to trust that the Lord knows exactly what He's doing.
Blessings Are More Than Possessions
When I think about blessings and tie back to the physical aspect of it, blessings are more than possessions and things. If I don't have a lot, I can still be blessed by God. When we look at how God talks about blessings here, it's actually words. He says, this is what I want you to bless the people of Israel with: may the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. It's a verbal blessing—saying, I want this for you. God gave them the words to say. If you're feeling the tension of not having everything you hoped for, and yet being positioned to speak a word of hope to somebody—trust that God has a bigger picture in mind. You may not have everything you need right now, but the blessing of God has been given to you to give to others. You can actually bless somebody out of your lack, and it's an honor to the Lord.
Trust Him in the Dry Season
I would ask that today, if you find yourself in a dry season, in a wilderness, and you feel that God is calling you to bless somebody with words or with deeds, trust that He still has your best interest in mind and that He's taking care of you even when you don't have everything you thought you would. I would venture to bet that as you give that word of encouragement and hope to that person, you will receive honor from the Lord. It'll do a good work on your heart. You'll know His heart for them, and in turn, you'll know His heart for you.
