What prayers do you pray over your children? What prayers do you say over the people closest to you in your life?
In my twenties, the pastor of the church I attended would pray Numbers 6:24-26 for each baby dedication. Pastor Daniel knew Hebrew. He would start to say the prayer in Hebrew and then recite the translation in English. The prayer of the verses stuck with me:
The Lord bless you
Numbers 6:24-26
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
When Hayley was born, many parents had encouraged Robyn and me to pursue consistency. The phrases, rhythms, and routines become ingrained in children. This prayer from Numbers came back to me. It encapsulated so much of what I want Hayley to know about God.
The book of Numbers has a reputation of boring lists of names and forty years of the wilderness for not trusting God. Oddly enough, Numbers 6 begins with regulations of a Nazarite vow. Then Moses implores Aaron and the other priests to say this prayer over the people.
Consider this scene. Amid all the failures and unfaithfulness of Israel during the book of Numbers, 6:24-26 finds a place in this book. As Sally Lloyd-Jones would say in the Jesus Storybook Bible, “God’s never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love,” stands in display in this passage.
The more I pray this prayer over Hayley, the more I realize how much I need this prayer for me. I want Hayley to know that she’s loved because God created her with worth and value, not because she has to earn it. That last sentence sounds familiar because that’s the struggle of my spiritual growth.
Prayer can seem daunting because of the pressure we put on ourselves to say the right things. There’s a reason the Bible provides us with prayers. Every time the Israelites and we as modern readers would hear this prayer, we would encounter the heartbeat of God. He desires to bless us lavishly. He provides us with grace. Not for what we have done, but out the love seen in His death and resurrection.
The prayers we say over the people we love the most can remind them of their encounter with “God’s never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love.” No matter how young or old, we need repetition because, as humans, we often forget.
You’re more than welcomed to pray Numbers 6:24-26 over your children and loved ones. Perhaps, another prayer in the Bible speaks to your family in a message they need to hear.
What prayers do you say over your kids or loved ones? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Photo by Michele Doerr Photography.
I pray a new prayer over my adult children. I wrote it down 1/1/2020. I Colossians 1:9-12…that they not gain from their own might but God’s. Of course, many prayers just flow. But this is my new intended prayer over them.
Great idea!