The Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, this is how you are to bless the Israelites. You should say to them, “May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:22-26)
We all want our prayers to be answered. That’s why we pray, isn’t it? Well, does it help you to know that God the Father wants to answer your prayers? He really does. If you truly are one of His kids, what father doesn’t want to give his child what he wants to make him happy? The problem a lot of the time is that either we ask Him for stuff we really don’t need, stuff that’s not really good for us, or it’s just not the right time yet. For example, think of your five-year old self asking your dad if you can drive his car.
The prayer that God desires to answer is the prayer that is according to His will. In today’s passage we catch a glimpse of God’s heart, of what He wants to do for us. Take a look at these verses again, but this time in the context of God’s desire for you:
The LORD wants to bless you.
The LORD wants to protect you.
The LORD wants to make his face shine on you.
The LORD wants to be gracious to you.
The LORD wants to look favorable on you.
The LORD wants to give you peace.
This is His desire for YOU! So pray for that. Isn’t it of great comfort knowing how much God wants to bless you? Matthew 7:11 says it like this: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” As you pray for this, however, keep in mind God has already given us the greatest gift we could ever ask for, His own Son, Jesus Christ, and it is through Him, that is, through our relationship with Christ that is by faith, that we are in fact blessed, we are protected, we have God’s favorable countenance shining down on us, we have His grace, we have His peace.
Praise God for the gift of His one and only Son, and all the many benefits you have as a result.