Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of
My friend is getting married this weekend. While sometimes it seems like a miracle that anyone gets married, she is a walking testimony to what God can do in a yielded life. Those who know her know this has not been an easy road -- the devil always makes sure to make things difficult. She has faced many trials on her road to this day and God has seen her through every step of the way. Personal demonic attacks, poor human choices, and losing a close loved one all marked this journey. But when you are ready to leave it all behind and trust in Jesus you better just watch out for what He can do:
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. -- 2Corithians 4: 7 (NLT)
Fragile she was when she was too afraid to use the gifts God had blessed her with but then she started to trust Him more and more. The more she trusted Him the more territory He gave her to conquer. When she had to face some bad decisions she had made, she was able to stand on the promises of God and start making the right ones again. Then He blessed those decisions as well. So often we simply refuse to walk in the power God has appropriated for us but when we do, He can do great and mighty things in our lives. So often we are on the wrong path willingly. When Elijah was facing his greatest moment of despair the Bible tells us he walked into the wilderness. We do the exact same thing sometimes. There is as a simple solution when we do not know which way to go:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. -- Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NLT)
Like my friend, sometimes we can trust God but maybe not quite with our whole heart. We can tend to lean to our own flawed understanding. We can try to solve things on our own and make twice a mess of our lives than we intended. But the promise here is never so clear. If we would just start to seek God in everything we do then the paths before us will become clear. We talk a lot about the blessings of God in churchianity but to actually see them pour out into a yielded life is something to behold. I saw her life travel from blessing to blessing as this day has approached. In recent days the enemy has tried to come back in and steal the joy and peace God has given her but to no avail. Her new life is her new life. Fully trusting in God for everything and soon to be married to the man God had intended for her since the foundations of the world were set.
So I bless her today with the priestly blessing God gave to Moses to bless the people of
Secondly, may the Lord protect your marriage. Always remember there is an enemy to both your souls. He is relentless in his attacks but when the Lord protects He does not do so without ability. For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. May God grant you the protection of the angels that shut the lion's mouths for Daniel. That no weapon formed against your marriage shall ever prosper. That a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand by your right hand but it will not come near to you. That when the devil turns up the fiery furnace of life seven times hotter than you can bear and asks you how you feel that you will respond with what you believe!
Third, may the Lord smile upon you. May the fruit that is produced in your marriage be ever pleasing to our God. That He would look upon your marriage and smile at the work He has done in both of you and in bringing you together. May your marriage further the
Fourth, may the Lord be gracious towards you. We all will slip up. We all are human and are living in our flesh in a dying world. There is no question that the grace God has shown you will still be needed moving forward. While we are ever changing into His image, we recognize that this change will never be complete -- even at the point that we are called home. I pray that the grace we know God will show both of you -- you show to each other. That you never let the sun go down on your anger. That you realize that the God you serve is bigger than any problem you might face in this life. That you forgive each other as He has forgiven you. That you would walk in the same grace which God intended for you. Under no condemnation and in total mercy.
Fifth, may the Lord show you His favor! Keep your worldly luck -- give me the providence of God! You are starting a long journey together and that journey will have mountaintops and valleys. May the Lord's favor be with you as it was with Joseph. That even in your darkest moments you can see the hand of God prospering you. That you recognize that the answer "no" from God is just as much a blessing as what our will desires. I pray that when you are in Potiphar's house the Lord will show you favor to rule. I pray that when you find yourself in the prison experiences of life that the Lord's favor will soon deliver you to the palace. That whatever you put your hands to -- people will see the hand of God right next to you.
Lastly, I pray the Lord give you and your marriage His peace. It is not like any peace we have ever experienced as it transcends mere mortal understanding! It is His peace that led David to slay Goliath. It is His peace that led the three Hebrew boys to say no to Nebuchadnezzar. It is His peace that allowed you both to come this far and it will take you as far as you need to go as long as He is always before you. As long as He is at your right hand you will never be shaken. May his peace flood your hearts. May His peace rule your lives. May people look upon you and be able to feel the peace of the Lord coming from you. In a world that is often in constant turmoil the devil will try to throw chaos into your union. May God's peace always rise up inside of you to answer.
My friend is getting married this weekend. I know the road she had to take to get to this place. But we know the size of the God we serve. We have seen His hand move mightily in her life since she has fully placed hers in His. The Bible says that your names are engraved in the palms of His hands, hallelujah! So receive this blessing today. Walk in it tomorrow. Remember it forever.
Rev. Anthony.
