A final blessing for our week <3

What a joy to see the sunshine today! We have certainly had a soggy week here in the Midwest. 

If you follow the blog, you already know that this week was one I just shared a daily Irish Blessing or two for St. Patrick’s Day.

I had thought to do it and as the week played out, I thanked God for the way He guides me when I don’t always understand. He knew how busy our week would turn out to be in advance and it was nice to just share the sweet blessings I had gathered for you the week before. 

So today I want to close out this week of blessing with one of my favorites. 

Before Ireland even was Ireland. 

Before shamrocks and leprechauns and all things green and orange depending on your persuasion, Aaron blessed the nation of Israel and we have been blessed and been blessing with these words ever since:

In Hebrew, the Birkat Kohanim, or Priestly Blessing.

ADONAI bless you and keep you!

ADONAI make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 

ADONAI turn His face toward you and give you peace. 

Numbers 6:24-26

My friends, I love the Irish blessings because I love the concept of us blessing one another with our words. 

One of the most charming and endearing customs among the Maasai is the way children and youth approach their elders. 

They walk up with head lowered and the adult reaches out, sometimes not even pausing in conversation, and places his or her hand on the younger person’s head. 

From what I observed, these young people rarely wanted to address the adult or needed to get their attention for anything. 

They were either approaching them on arrival to something and greeting them in this way, or sometimes they just seemed to need the blessing. 

This is not a Christian custom necessarily, but one of their culture that has been, thankfully, carried into their walk with Jesus. 

Often I find myself running on empty in my own strength. 

What I need is to stop and lower my head and receive the blessing of my ADONAI

I pray you feel His hand on your own sweet head today. 

I pray that…

The LORD would bless you and keep you today

I pray that He would make His face to shine upon you

I pray that He would be gracious toward you.

I pray that you would sense His face turned toward you

And I pray that you will know, all the way from the tip of your head right down to your toes, His peace. 

Amen and amen 

And when your cup is filled with all that He is, I pray you to look around towards your fellow sojourners and pray blessings and speak blessings over them as well. 

The world is full of too many words that do not bless, let’s be a people of blessing <3