His Power, His Presence and His Grace
By Rev. J. Loren Russell
Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”
If you have ever suffered from low self-esteem or a lack of self- confidence, you are in good company. The children of Israel needed this multifaceted blessing and assurance that the Lord would bless and keep them, make His face shine upon them, be gracious to them, life up his countenance upon them, and give them peace.
His power, His presence and his Holy Spirit were all contained in this Old Testament priestly benediction. As the Children of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, this blessing reassured them that they were both loved and chosen by God as His holy nation. It was the power, the presence, and the grace of God in all His glory.
The power of the Father is evidenced through His promise to bless the children of Israel. To bless is to salute, to honor and to esteem. The Lord promises to bless, to keep, to guard, to protect, and to preserve His chosen people.
The presence of God is revealed when He makes His face to shine upon them. He takes pleasure in their worship. His graciousness, His kindness, and His generosity are revealed through His intimacy with them.
The grace of the Lord shows up in their personal relationship with Him as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Even though
they are living in the chaos of the wilderness, His grace delivers them to wellness, happiness, prosperity, rest, and safety in spite of their environment.
Today’s believers have the same assurance. He is omnipotent and has charge of all we will experience and is the source of all our blessings. He is the source and the sustenance of all that we are, all that we have and all that we will ever be. He has the power to bless and to keep us just as He did the children of Israel, to make His face shine upon us. Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary says, “For in every place where God records his name, he will meet his people and bless them.”
It is through His power, His presence and His grace that the Israelites made it through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. The same power, presence and grace will bring you through whatever trial or tribulation you’re facing and deliver you to your land of promise.
Be blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096). He writes this column and produces and host’s “Matters of Faith: The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel. Be sure to Friend, Like, and Share the column and the channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
