"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" (Num. 6:24-27, ESV).
This was the blessing Aaron and the high priests that followed him were to speak over the people. By praying this blessing over the people they were putting the name of the Lord upon the people. They were marking out this people as those blessed by God.
Throughout the Scripture we see the people of God blessing and being blessed. When was the last time you blessed someone? I'm not asking when was the last time you did something nice for someone else, but when was the last time you prayed this kind of prayer?
Blessings are usually uttered without the presumption of response. Those who pray a blessing over another person realize that God is fully capable of blessing that person, if he so chooses, but they also know that he is not obligated to do so.
Asking the Lord to bless another is a natural response the the blessings he has bestowed upon us. We have been blessed, so we seek to bless others. Much like Aaron we are to seek the Lord's blessing upon his people. We intercede on their behalves for God's gracious provision for their lives. Consider praying this blessing for your family and friends. Pray it for your enemies. We who are blessed, must bless in return. Why not use an example from Scripture to inform our actions?
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