12 February 2023 - The Lord will bless you, upon the earth you will be protected

Psalm 41:2 (AMP) The LORD will protect him and keep him alive; And he will be called blessed in the land; You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP) 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 (face) upon you , And give you peace .

The Lord is mentioned three times, and on each occasion, with a different type of blessing. The first concerns the Lord’s protection, associated with God the Father. The next blessing concerns God's face (in Christ) being gracious (forgiving sin on the cross at Calvary). The final line is a peace blessing. Here this may be compared with the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, which descended on Jesus like a dove.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT) But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Psalm 32:7 (ESV) You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

In Scripture, God used several means to protect His people, including angels, fire, floods, escape routes, royal decrees, and pagan armies. God’s power and creativity are unlimited.

God’s promise of protection does not guarantee that we will never know pain or loss. Job’s story shows us that, although God is able to deliver us from every physical calamity or trouble, it may not be His will to do so. Sometimes He uses trials to purify us. In these times, we should count it pure joy because, by allowing trials, God tests our faith to develop a deeper faith so that we persevere and grow to maturity and Christlikeness.

James 1:2–3 (ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Jeremiah 17:8 (ESV) “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

It doesn’t mean that life gets void of trials, and nothing tough ever happens. There are definitely times of trial and challenges - but with the blessing of the Lord upon us, we have strength, endurance, and favour even in tough times.