SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 July 2026   Numbers 6:24.

Numbers 6:24.        The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

So we’ve come to Wednesday, our second wind day, and it’s a completely different day to yesterday; not as hot and very cloudy, as though rain’s in the offing. And wouldn’t that be a wonderful blessing for the parched earth. Unfortunately though, with climate change supposedly in action, you can’t take anything for granted; the day might look one way and then turn out to be entirely different.

Oh, the duchess just informed me that the cloudiness outside was not a harbinger of heavenly blessings, but of smoke from wildfires burning in the province. Hn, Hn! And there I was ever so wisely forecasting rain. (smile) But regardless of what kind of day it turns out to be, let’s make sure and catch our second wind so that we can continue doing good work for Christ! And all God’s children said, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’

And today we’re going to look at an interesting topic, that of praying for Family and LOVED Ones, as set out in a prayer card from the In Touch Organization. So please pray with me: ‘God, please bless my family and friends. I trust them to Your infinite wisdom and LOVE. Provide for their needs and protect them. Draw them close to You. For those who don’t know You, Please open their eyes to salvation through Your Son, Jesus. Show me where I need to purify my heart or seek forgiveness. Make me a blessing to each one – LOVING, encouraging,, and helping wherever I can. Thank You for all the ways You tenderly care for us. Amen.’

Yes my brethren, praying for friends and families is one of our most important duties, entrusting their lives to God to look after them, like He looks after us. We’re also supposed to bless them. We ought to speak a blessing over ourselves, our families and our friends every day when and where possible. Please don’t allow any of your resident family to go out each day without praying a blessing over them.

And the scriptural basis for this prayer all began way back when the Lord instructed Moses about speaking blessings over the children of Israel. ‘And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (look on you with favour), and give thee peace.’ (Num. 6:22-26)

Wow! Only a wonderful and LOVING God would ever detail that kind of directive to His people. And that’s the amazing kind of God we serve my people! Give Him thanks and praise for being so wonderful to us the undeserving children of men!

And the scholars offer an interesting explanation of that blessing. They say: ‘The special blessing of the Lord upon His people was pronounced by Aaron, the high priest, and by subsequent priests of the Lord. Known as the “priestly blessings” or “Aaronic blessing”, it was pronounced with hands lifted up (Lev. 9:22). In later Jewish tradition, the blessing was pronounced at the conclusion of the morning and evening sacrifice. The form of the blessing consists of three sentences of two parts each. 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 (look on you with favour), and give you peace.

Illustration:  The early church fathers viewed the blessing as a reflection of the Trinity. The first part the work of the Father, the second part the work of the Son, and the third part the work of the Holy Spirit. Application: The significance of the blessing indicates the special relationship between God and His people which is mediated by the one pronouncing the blessing, as can be seen in Jesus’ Beatitudes of blessing (Matt, 5:3-12; cf. Deut. 9:1).’  

And we certainly see the blessedness of Jesus in the 8 blessings of the Beatitudes, describing the spiritual characteristics of one who has been saved and attempts to live a godly life. And blessings were also important to Bruh Paul, who in every letter he wrote in the Bible, except in Romans, early on, he introduces a form of blessing like this: ‘Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Then He gave thanks for them being a part of the church and believers in Christ Jesus.

And there are many other blessings to be found in the scriptures, so let’s look at a couple of them, as space and time permit. And we all know this famous one from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) Then in John’s third epistle, writing to his friend Gaius, he declares: Beloved, I wish above all things (I pray that in all things) that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth.’ (3 John 1:2)

Meanwhile Psalm 1 tells us: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law he doth meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (streams) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:1-3)

Yes my people, those who live and work for the Lord are indeed blessed, and we must also remember to pour out our blessings on God, on ourselves, our families and LOVED ones, and even those we don’t really know, for we never know what difference a simple blessing can make to a hurting or discouraged soul. Now, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.

As one strong and sincere voice. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And an even more than glorious future awaits those who endure to the very end with Jesus. I plead with us to be wise and do just that, so we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…God blesses us…so that we can bless others…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien