Psalm 67; Numbers 6:24-26; Matthew 25:46 - "The Blessing"

 

The Lord took me to Psalm 67 this morning which is a reflection of Numbers 6:24-26. I was reminded of a song called "The Blessing" that comes from these Scriptures. God is so good in the way He loves on us and provides exactly what we need. Last night was a perfect example of His care for me. I had plans but I was exhausted. Instead of doing what I planned I ended up in my nightgown by 6PM and snuggled under my afghan. There was a point I tried doing some paperwork but that did not even happen. I pushed myself all week after being sick last week. I tried to get everything accomplished as 'normal' but my body stopped. I am so thankful for the way God takes care of such situations. These Scriptures and song are perfect to ponder upon this morning. There are a couple things on the calendar but for the most part it is an 'easy' day ahead. Of course, that is subject to change with whatever the Lord desires of me but no matter what happens I will remember...

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you

God desires to bless us. He desires to take care of us and shower His love, grace, and mercy upon us as we live a life pleasing to Him. The more we strive to live in His presence the more we will experience a life filled with His peace. Living in His presence glorifies God through our actions, words, attitude, and thoughts. Woo hoo! I pray each morning for God to cleanse me so He can fill me. Some people are of the mind-set repentance is a one-time thing to happen but that is not true. We must repent for both the known and the unknown sins every day. We cannot have a barrier between us and God. Sin is a barrier that will take away bits and pieces of our relationship with Him. Sin will cause eternal separation from God. I desire to be a sheep and not a goat as Matthew 25:46 speaks of in regard to eternal life. I desire to live as God desires of me. As I allow Him to be Who He desires in my life His plans for me will be lived out. Sometimes I wonder what is ahead but then I realize it would not be good for any of us to know the future. If we did, we would manipulate it to be as we desired. "Go with the flow..." was a way of living I learn long ago. Sometimes 'Plan A' turns into 'Plan B, C, D...' No matter what happens in a day as long as I am living in God's presence life is good. I learned long ago to not get upset over schedule changes because God already knew they would happen. I was thinking the other day as another change occurred about how my Rickey called it having 'doctor office hours' with his students. He would have a schedule but then it would change. There would be ones cancel and ones to call for unexpected lessons. He said my life was much the same with ministry. Thankfully he never allowed schedule changes to upset him either. We must remember God is in control when we allow Him and is always with us. Praise His Holy Name!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You for the way You direct my path! Thank You for the blessings of Psalm 67 and Numbers 6 along with the song "The Blessing"! You are such a good, good God! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You flow from my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a mighty way. May people see/hear You instead of me. Lord, my heart is heavy for so many going through difficult days. Some are due to health issues or deaths in themselves, family, or friends. Some are struggling with relationship issues. I pray especially for those who are not in relationship with You to get to the end of themselves and allow You to be their King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray for those in relationship with You to dig deeper in their faith so You can be Who You desire to be in their life. I pray continued healing in Anna, Michael, Matt, and myself as we continue to miss my Rickey being here with us. Lord, be greater than the hurts of being separated from Him. I pray Your peace over: My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Tony and Madeline; Pete and Delores; Steve;  Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Little Jensen who needs a heart; Sharon Sebolt and her Momma Shirley; the Pottenger Family; Serena and her husband; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; a husband/father separated from his wife; Kristen Batten; Joe Miles; those with COVID either themselves or in their family; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Doug and Gay; Sharon's daughter Ashley and niece Amy; Chrissy's cousins; George and Sharon; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Elaine Stoltzfus; Tammie; Little Ivy and Dorothy's grandson with leukemia; Betty's friend in New York' and my friend diagnosed with mesothelioma. I pray for: Jonathan whose mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor; a set of twins who were born premature; a young Momma in premature labor; and Kenny and Terri as Kenneth is deployed. Oh Lord, be so close to these families. Be greater than the hurts of life. Thank You for being My Blessing! Amen.