‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.’ Numbers 6:24-26 (NIVUK)

Words have power. The writer of Proverbs tells us, ‘The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.’ (Proverbs 12:18). So often we use our tongues to criticise, to tear down, to gripe and moan or assassinate another person’s character.

No wonder James writes, ‘The tongue…is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.’ (James 3:6).

But all is not doom and gloom. We can use our tongues to heal, encourage and compliment. They can be sources of balm that soothe sore wounds. Instead of using our tongues to curse we can use them to pronounce God’s blessing on one another, such as the priestly blessing of Numbers 6 shown in the header scripture.

The apostle Paul often closed his letters by pronouncing a blessing upon his readers: ‘Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.’ (Ephesians 6:23-24). This is why many churches conclude their services with a benediction, a blessing pronounced over the whole congregation. The following prayer of blessing was prayed at the end of a service I once attended: 

May God remember you like Noah
Favour you like Moses
Honour you like Mary
Fight for you like the Israelites
Prosper you like Isaac
Promote you like Joseph
Intervene for you like Esther
Protect you like Daniel
Work with you like Paul
Heal you like Naaman
Answer you like Elijah
Anoint you like David
And keep you safe like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Amen 

This is my prayer for each of you reading this devotion. I hope you are blessed by it.

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