The Old Testament Lord’s Prayer – Part One

“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.” (Numbers 6: 24 – 26).

God gave us this prayer. Blessing is His idea. A simple response to the greeting, “Hello, how are you?” should well be, “Blessed.”

The praying of this prayer in faith shows expectation God will draw near and enfold you in His grace. To pray is to live expectant of blessings not of dread. The praying of this prayer is a way of saying, “Yes, Amen!” to God’s promises. 

“The Lord bless you and keep you” speaks of present blessings and future care by the Lord. He will “keep you.” 

He will “make His face to shine upon you.” Making His face to shine upon you refers to Him revealing His will.

“The Lord lift up His countenance upon you” is a term expressive of a smile.  May God find such pleasure in you as to smile and reward you with peace.

The prayer speaks of blessing, presence, and the smile of God. It is not man’s idea, it is God’s idea. It is what He wants for you.

In light of that, consider the two most common responses to the innocent greeting, “Hello, how are you?” Why in light of the provisions of this prayer do so many people respond “Tired,” or “So far so good,” as if expecting the “Burden Bear” to attack them at any moment.”

This question concerns the medical community as well as the faith community. Dr. Richard Clark Cabbot of the Mayo Clinic led a team that studied the issue of “How to help people overcome that tired feeling.”

Parenthetically, there are times when we are all legitimately tired. It is a wonderful condition if the fatigue is the result of energy and effort well spent.

However, the doctors of Mayo Clinic in their study were concerned with the chronically tired persons who have no physiological reason for always being tired. 

The Clinic was so impressed with the result of their study they had a logo designed using a cross with four equal arms each of which represented one of the four factors: 

WORK, PLAY, LOVE, AND WORSHIP.

Consider them as a daily antidote to having that “tired feeling.” It is a prescription from a highly respected medical source. The way in which it should be done is found in Colossians 3: 23: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

Here comes a part you got to like —– play.

Unplug, recreate, and enjoy amusement. Allow yourself to relax and laugh.

Stress, prolonged fatigue, negative emotions, and a pessimistic outlook flood the body with toxins. They release chemical toxins within your body. Don’t make your body a toxic waste dump by depriving it of play.

A short version of Jesus’ summation of the law is simply, “You shall love…” He went on to say, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37).

The only way we can stay alert to the reality of God in Christ ruling and saving is in the act of worship. It enables us to focus on the provision of this passage.