Benedictions and Farewell Greetings

In previous blog posts, I mentioned that the word bless can signify a prayer of benediction. One of those is Numbers 6:24-26. I love the way it reads in the New Living Translation.

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.

You’ve possibly heard a pastor say this or another version of it at the end of a worship service. They are speaking a blessing over you for protection, and for the Lord’s mercy, favor, and peace to rest upon you. Receive these words and hold on to them with your whole heart.

One of my pastors often shared this benediction at the close of a service.

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21, NKJV

The writer of Hebrews used this benediction in his closing remarks. Paul, Peter, and John spoke blessings in their farewell greetings to the churches too. These are available for us to pray or speak over others and even for ourselves.

Paul ended his letter in 2 Corinthians 13:14 with this verse from the New International Version.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Christ’s grace, God’s love, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit are ours.

As 2 Thessalonians 3 wraps up, Paul gives this greeting in verse 16 from the New King James Version.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

He’s offering peace and reminding us that the Lord is near.

Here’s my farewell greeting for you today:

May you find peace, joy, and comfort in the Lord. May your walk be blessed with God’s guidance through whatever situations you face today. May you be filled with His wisdom and love.

Photo by Frank McKenna - Unsplash

Personal Blessings

The Lord poured out a big blessing upon me. Another book released, and for that I’m thankful, but there’s much more!

Twelve years ago, we left Nashville, our two married children, and our grandson. We moved 1200 miles away to Albuquerque, New Mexico, with our youngest daughter. For the past five years we could have moved back to Tennessee, but we didn’t want to pull her away from her high school. After graduation, she had no intention of moving back and leaving her friends, but she said we could leave her. We didn’t feel the time was right to do that.

My daughter asked me why we didn’t move back and let her stay. The primary reason to move was to be together again as a family. If she weren’t with us, that wouldn’t happen.

I’ve prayed over these past several years and asked the Lord to put the desire in her heart to go with us. Living so far away from our two other children and three grandchildren breaks my heart.

Two weeks ago, my prayers were answered. My daughter said she was ready to move back. Praise God! He worked a miracle in her. I’ve prayed and waited for this day for five years. Time for a happy dance.

I love New Mexico, and I’ll miss the view of the Sandia Mountains, the low humidity, and amazing deep blue skies. I’ll experience a personal loss when I leave my friends, Bible study ladies, writer’s critique group, and my chiropractor (God blessed him with healing hands). And there’s almost nothing more beautiful than the pink-orange sunrises and sunsets.

But my heart is in Tennessee. I’ll be home when my ten-year-old granddaughter visits and we make cookies together, my six-year-old grandson crawls into my lap for a story, or my almost adult grandson laughs at hubby’s silliness. Those happy encounters will beat a sunrise or sunset.

God has blessed me above and beyond all that I’ve asked or thought, and I am so grateful.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV

What blessing are you praising God for today?

Photo by Jp Valery - Unsplash

Blessings

On our walks near the Rio Grande, my husband Kenn and I often greet those passing by with a “good morning.” I look at those greetings as extending a blessing in hopes these fellow walkers and runners have a good day. Some receive it with a returned, “good morning,” some with a hello or nod, and others walk by without acknowledging us.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the Greek word, bless, used here is eulogeo—to speak well of, thank, or a prayer of benediction. This word can also mean, praise.

In Luke 2:28, Simeon blessed God in the temple as he held the Christ child. In verse 34, he blessed Mary and Joseph. I believe when Simeon blessed God, he was thanking and praising Him for allowing Simeon to see the promised Messiah. When he blessed Mary and Joseph, he may have spoken a benediction of protection and favor over them.

Here is another verse that uses eulogeo.

“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Luke 6:28, NIV

We are to offer a kind word, speak well of, and pray for those who curse and mistreat us.

There’s another meaning for the word blessed in the Bible. The Greek word, makarios, means supremely blessed, happy, fortunate, and well off. My study Bible states, “It is a grace word that expresses the special joys and satisfaction granted the person who experiences salvation.”

Makarios is the word used in the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-11 and Luke 6:20-22. We also find it in these verses.

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out,
“Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the
word of God and obey it.”
Luke 11:27-28, NIV

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me,
you have believed; blessed are those who have
not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:29, NIV

Excuse me a moment while I eulogeo my Lord. Jesus said, makarios are those who hear the Word and obey it and who have not seen and yet believe. That’s us if we’ve experience Christ’s salvation! We are supremely blessed, happy, fortunate, and well off. We find joy and satisfaction in our salvation. Praise God!

Will you join me in offering thanks and praise to God for His supreme blessings, joy, and the satisfaction He grants to those of us who have experienced His salvation?

Hayford, Jack W. New Spirit Filled Life Bible: NKJV Kingdom Equipping through the Power of the Word. Thomas Nelson, 2002.

Saying Grace

Has someone asked you to say grace before a meal? Why is the word “grace” used to describe a mealtime prayer? I’ve heard God’s grace described as His unmerited favor and kindness toward us. Grace, we don’t earn or deserve. But what does it mean to “say grace”?

I think of a mealtime prayer as giving thanks and investigated the meaning of grace to find out its connection to thanksgiving. The word grace (charis) in the Greek also means gratitude, favor, gift, benefit, pleasure, and thanks. When we say grace before our meal, we are giving thanks and showing gratitude for God’s bountiful gifts.

As a child, I learned this simple prayer for mealtime:
God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.

I found this traditional prayer while researching for this blog post:
God our Father, Lord, and Savior,
Thank you for Your love and favor,
Bless this food and drink we pray,
And all who share with us today.

In God’s Word, we see Jesus giving thanks for food when He fed the 5000, during the Lord’s Supper, and in the Emmaus Road story after his resurrection.

In the story of feeding the 5000, “given thanks” is used in John 6:11, ESV and “said a blessing” is used in Mark 6:41 and Matthew 14:19.

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Matthew 14:19

The Greek word for bless (eulogeo) is to speak well of, thank or invoke a benediction upon.

We find the same descriptions used in the retelling of the Lord’s Supper. In Matthew 26:26, the ESV uses the word, "blessing.” Luke 22:19, uses “given thanks.”

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:19

Thanks, used here, is the word eucharisteo in the Greek, and means to be grateful, express gratitude, and give thanks. The words “said a blessing” and “given thanks” appear to be interchangeable in the verses above due to their similar meanings.

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5

Although I don’t recite a traditional prayer before I eat, my family does say grace. We believe we should follow our Lord’s example by offering God thanksgiving for our food as Christ did, whether we call it saying grace, saying the blessing, or giving thanks.

Do you have a favorite mealtime prayer or one you learned as a child?

Let’s connect on Facebook and BookBub!