For this week’s Worship Wednesday post, Jennifer shares how God blessed her family as they pondered the question her daughter posed: “What is the blessing?”

What is The Blessing?

“What is ‘the blessing’ you talk about with people?” 

My college-aged daughter forced home by the global pandemic ambushed me with this question recently. When she was younger her questions often caught me off guard because her brain jumped all around so I rarely knew what she was focused on. This question took me back to that age…  So I cautiously asked her what she was talking about.

Her reply opened my eyes to what she was really wondering. “You know that one about the Lord turning His face to you.” It reminded me of a time when she was little and tried to figure out what God’s face looked like. Did he have a large nose? A huge smile or deep frown lines? Does he look kind? 

When We Doubt the Blessing

A lifetime seems to have passed since those naive questions from an innocent child. This time the question came from a place of fear and concern. Living through the Covid-19 pandemic has caused her to doubt God. Doubt his blessings, his love, his peace.  We talked about where this blessing is found in Scripture.  Look at Numbers 6.

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.

Numbers 6:24-26 ESV

God spoke this particular blessing to Moses. Today, Chaplains often use it to end services. But we can use this prayer to remind ourselves and others God is near during these uncertain times.

We sat down as a family and talked about the blessings we have during this pandemic.  We were able to outline the many blessings we receive, sometimes without giving much thought. Although we are far from my married daughter and my in-laws, my college kids are home with my husband and I. We still receive a paycheck, have food, a home, and things to do together.  We are healthy and safe. Before we knew it, we spent nearly 30 minutes listing blessings.

When to Search for The Blessing

Then, we switched to situations when we need to look to God for the blessing of peace, like the loss of family members or the uncertainty of an upcoming PCS. We thought about our friend’s whose servicemember deployed to help with Covid-19 responses and those who are “stuck” overseas for longer than expected due to stop movement orders.

After this discussion, The Blessing by Elevation with Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes played on my radio station. What a great reminder that God wants us to know He is watching over us and holding us in his hands. He gives us grace every single day, even every single minute. That is the blessing.

So, when you are in a place of fear or concern or you lose your temper due to learning math a new way, remember that the Lord will bless you and will keep you. Turn up this song for a reminder of his love and his blessings now and forever.

Jennifer Wake