August 7, 2020
Dear Cathedral Family,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 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.’ So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27 (NKJV)
There’s tremendous power in a blessing! Experiencing the favor of God in your own life is absolutely wonderful. Yet it’s even more fulfilling to see that blessing at work in the lives of the people you love: your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your co-workers or employees, your friends, and more.
As we wrap up our study of Joseph this Sunday, we see a glorious legacy of blessing still in its beginning stages. God had promised Joseph’s great grandfather Abraham that He would make Abraham into a great nation, with descendants as countless as the stars. Could a childless man have faith to believe that God would keep His promise?
In time, Abraham would have a son, and Isaac would become the father of Jacob. Jacob would become the father of 12 sons, one of which was Joseph. Before Jacob draws his last breath, he blesses his favored son Joseph:
“May the God of your father help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below…May my fatherly blessings on you surpass the blessings of my ancestors, reaching to the heights of the eternal hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph…”
Joseph would live to be 110. Before he died, he reminded his brothers of the promise: “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
400 years passed! By then, Jacob’s family of 70 who moved to Egypt had become a great nation of over 2 million people that Moses would lead out of bondage on their way to the land God had promised to their ancestor Abraham. That’s the same Moses to whom God gave the blessing that I pray over our church family at the end of each service:
“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.
I want to encourage you today with the awareness that, as a follower of Christ, you have the same authority to proclaim that same blessing over yourself, over your family, and over everything that concerns you.
“But, Mike, I’ve never received that blessing for myself! I don’t even know where to start.” Well, then, this Sunday’s service is for you.
I’m so looking forward to us being together in God’s presence and experiencing the power of His blessing on us. I’m believing for bondages of the past to be broken and a fresh sense of purpose and destiny to be released. I know God delights to bless His people, so let’s get in on all that goodness together.
See you Sunday – in-person at 9am and 11am (still observing all our safety protocols) and online at 11am via Livestream or Facebook Live.
Come expectant!
Mike Lewis
Cathedral