HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
Our Scripture Reading is taken from the Book of Numbers 24:1-9
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel. — Numbers 24:1
The king of Moab wanted Balaam to curse Israel, but he couldn’t. Balaam could only speak blessings as the Lord gave him words to say. In this passage, we find that he blessed Israel by saying that they would flourish like a well-watered garden.
It’s important to occasionally think about all the ways God has blessed us. Even when life hurts, we have many blessings to thank God for. Here’s a way to use the word BLESS to count our blessings:
B is for the body. Thank God for physical health and the ability to walk, run, play, breathe, and think. Pray for people who can’t enjoy these things.
L is for labour. Praise God for jobs and income that help to meet your needs. Thank God for your employer and the people you work with.
E is for emotions. Thank God for joy, peace, contentment, and more.
S is for social. We are blessed with relationships. Thank God for parents, grandparents, siblings, children, friends, and all relationships in the church.
S is for spiritual. Thank God for all the gifts of salvation in Christ. Praise God for forgiveness, prayer, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the hope of eternal life.
May each of us learn to say, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.”
Let us Prayer
Lord, what a great God you are! Your blessings overflow to us. May we be a blessing to others. Amen.
