If you know me at all, you know that, sadly, I'm a big sneezer. I mean a really big sneezer; loud, earth-shattering, uncontrollable. And the unfortunate thing is, so is Stan. We both suffer from this malady, or maybe I should say that EVERYONE ELSE suffers from our loud sneezing episodes. We can't control it; the more we try, the worse it seems to get. I have found that if I try to stifle my sneeze once it gets started, not only is it LOUD, it ends up being a horribly loud version of the worst raspberry ever. God bless those in our paths when the sneezing begins.
I think the automatic responses when someone sneezes is to say "God bless you". It's kinda nice to be blessed because of a sneeze, isn't it? A long time ago someone told me that the reason we say "God bless you" in response to a sneeze originated hundreds of years ago when druids roamed the earth. (A druid is a priest, magician, or soothsayer in the ancient Celtic religion. I just now looked that up.) As the story goes, the druids believed that when someone sneezed, the sneezer lost his/her soul. How tragic!! But if someone quickly stepped up and said "God bless you", the evil spirits who had been patiently waiting on a sneeze would be scared away and the soul would return to the sneezer. (I did not look up this explanation because I like this version and don't want to be let down if it was totally fabricated. It's a good little story.)
God bless you. Oh how I love that. Yes, we all say that to someone out of habit because of a sneeze, but we also say that in deliberate response to many other situations, whether those situations are joyful or otherwise. God bless you. That's quite a powerful phrase, isn't it?
I used to steer clear of reading anything in the Old Testament other than the Psalms or some of the pretty passages where my favorite verses are hiding. And I'm not sure why I avoided it all these years - because NOW it's like I'm drawn to it, and I'm getting really wrapped up in the long and complicated genealogy passages. Can't get enough of it! God has such a sense of humor sometimes, doesn't He? Funny how that works! So yesterday I was reading in Numbers about all the details of making assignments for the census. (Oh how the organizing geek in me rejoiced over this and if possible, I would even offer up a high five to Moses and Aaron.) The Israelite MEN ONLY totaled 603,550, but God had a very detailed plan laid out and everyone was counted and assignments were made. And then God told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to bless the Israelites; and this is what they were to say to them:
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace."
Numbers 6:22-27 NIV
But what does this really mean? (I know it's very straightforward, but this just jumped out at me as BEAUTIFUL.) This is so powerful when we ask God's blessings on someone, because it's exactly what He said to ask, so He listens with a big smile on His face. And here's my loose, yet inspired, Chadwick translation:
May the Lord show special favor to you in your situation, and not only that, may He give you protection as well.
In addition to special favor, may the Lord not only be pleased with you, but may He be merciful and compassionate.
And on top of all that, may the Lord look upon you with approval. But there's more and it's maybe the best:
May the Lord give you peace.
Our precious Heavenly Father gave this blessing to the Israelites, IN SPITE OF all their sometimes wicked and ungodly ways. Unlike us, He is able to look down our paths and see the end result. He does want to bless our lives. I think He proved that in a manger in spite of seemingly impossibilities.
A lot of responsibility on our part comes with this blessing, whether on the giving or receiving end of it. Are we doing our part to be worthy of God's blessing? Do we know someone who is in real need of God's blessing on their life?
Favor. Protection. Mercy. Compassion. Approval. Peace.
During this wonderful season of giving, I can think of no greater gift than to have God's blessing.
And that, my friend, is my prayer for you!