September 13

Isaiah 12:1-14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 23:9-11

As I dropped off a couple kids at a friend's house recently, I hollered at them, "Be a blessing!"  My 4-year-old then asked me what a blessing was, and I told her it was like a gift, a hope for something good to happen to someone, a way to bring good things to other people.  A bit simplistic, but workable enough for the preschool mind.

I thought about this idea of blessing when I read today.  Our previous church, home for nearly two decades, closed each service with a benediction (literally, a "good word"), a prayer of blessing that we all spoke over one another as we left.  For a long-ish period of time, that benediction was taken from 2 Corinthians 13:14.  We prayed: "May the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit be with us all."  I love the adjectives that were added to this verse - amazing, extravagant, intimate.

            Jesus' grace, his free gift of sacrifice on the cross, is amazing.

            God's love, creative and unchanging and boundless, is extravagant.

            The friendship of the Holy Spirit, a companion who resides within us at all times, is intimate.

What a prayer to pray over someone else!  Truly, could there be a better "good word"?

The psalm, too, recognizes these characteristics of God.  The writer praises God, saying, "Great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies" (Ps. 57:10).  Mercy and steadfastness are also mentioned (see vs. 1, 2); God's power (vs. 3) and provision (vs. 1b) are recalled.

What attributes of God have you experienced today, in just these few hours?  Have you breathed in grace, been aware of God's love, had sweet communion with the Holy Spirit?  Has God's faithfulness been impressed upon you in a new way, or did you receive mercy yet again?  Have you seen his power at work in the lives around you; have you seen him open his hand to take literal care of you?  Take a moment to praise the LORD.

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth" (Ps. 57:5).

- Sarah Marsh

How did God speak to you in Scripture today? Click here to share your reflections on God's word or read past posts. We'd love to hear from you.