“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)
I sing these verses to my kids every night. Sort of.
Years ago, I was putting one of the children to bed and, after singing “You are my Sunshine,” I felt these verses floating around in my head. Only, I couldn’t quite remember the order.
So, I sang them as I remembered them. I placed the baby in the crib, shut the light, and closed the door. And I did it the next day and the next, never once checking to see if I said them right.
It was months later when I heard my pastor end the service with these words. That was when I realized that my “translation” was a little off, or at least out of order.
To this day, I still sing “You are my Sunshine” and these verses to my children for every nap and bedtime.
The order of the blessing isn’t nearly as important as the blessing itself. I began singing these words to my children because I wanted them to fall asleep to the sound of this divine promise being laid upon their drowsy heads.
I wanted these words to be the last thing they remembered when they drifted off to sleep.
No matter how many songs I might sing during the nightly bedtime ritual, or how many lyrics I may butcher when my memory fails me, this song is always sung without fail.
I think we should all fall asleep to the warmth and promise of the Lord’s blessing upon us.
Have a blessed Monday.
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