GOBL Living

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
GOBL Living is not a typo. It's my Bible margin shorthand for God-Blessed. This year in my reading through the Bible I've noted all the times God's blessing is mentioned. This morning I completed Numbers 6, so far finding 40 references to the blessing of God. I'm not counting other synonyms like God's favor. That would add in another 2-3 dozen allusions to the kind, joy-giving, gracious acts of God in behalf of those He loves.

And I'm still only in Numbers. I haven't even begun the happy parts of the Old Testament, and am not even near the NT yet! I'm getting the distinct impression that the Bible is about a God who loves to bless his people. That means He loves to give gifts that bring joy and a deep inner sense of wholeness and fullness to human hearts.

Maybe this is because He Himself is the Happy God--the One most blessed and full of joy (Romans 1:25; Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 11:31; 1 Timothy 1:11; 1 Timothy 6:15). All told I think I recall there being over 90 references to the happiness of God in the Bible (check out John Piper's The Pleasures of God, at desiringgod.org for an incredible study of this truth).

Because God is happy--the blessed One--He loves to bring joy to those He loves. Blessing to us is the overflow of the blessedness of His own heart. In Numbers 6, Aaron asks God, in the famous Aaronic Benediction, to shine His blessed and blessing face upon us. And that's what He always does.

Notwithstanding recent trials; notwithstanding pipes busted and bank accounts pillaged and nest eggs depleted and jobs lost and cancer diagnosed and marriages ravaged and kids wayward and sons gone, The Blessed God is blessing His children.

It is so hard to see it in the middle of the storm, in the throes of the calamity, in the pit of grief--but God is always moving about seeking to bless those He loves (2 Chronicles 16:9). And this is true even in the tears. Often God's sweetest blessing comes while we're in the agonizing grip of soul-draining, gut-wrenching grief. Whenever God breaks the heart it is to bless the soul.

That is not cliche. It is truth, and there are no exceptions to this rule. It is truth tried and proven by countless believers through the years; truth being proven by those in trial this very hour. While I have seen much suffering in recent days, I have also seen at least glimmers of hope, little flickers of faith and whispers of blessing in even the most grief-stricken among us. This is the faithfulness of a blessed God Who blesses us.

Dear suffering friend: God is going to meet you in this hour. He is going to lift your eyes. He is going to restore your soul. He is going to bless you with moments in which you see and know and love, and know that you are loved by, Him.

His blessed face will shine on you today. May you know with joy that it does.