Monday, January 16, 2006

health and peace

`May the LORD bless you and protect you.
May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.' Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)

I bet the one who has this has health. It would be difficult to have this and not feel real good.

Yesterday after attending church, my wife and I went to eat some lunch at a restaurant. As we sat there I began to look into her eyes. I began to have all kinds of feelings. I felt God’s blessing on my life. I know that he has given to me a good woman who only wishes me good. Her heart for me is blessing and I know that God gave her that heart. It did me good to have that realization and I felt great because of it.

She has always been my strongest support and defender. She has stood with me in the toughest of times. God has used her prayers to turn back the tide of Satan’s attacks many times. She has defended my heart to those who wished me ill. I can only say to you that yesterday I looked into her eyes and felt a sense of safety and security knowing her love is unconditional. I knew my heart for her was the same. We would endure battles together in the future and we would win. I felt God’s protection in that moment.

I told her in that moment that I loved her and was so glad to have her as my wife. She smiled. It was a great smile too. It was the kind of smile that comes from deep within when life gives you something good. It was and is the smile of God. It was the favor of God. God had been gracious to me and His grace in that moment became tangible, edible, and we partook. I felt warm energy and life in my body and in my heart.

A peace that can only come from God was there in our special moment and we became just a little healthier than we were before. Nutrients from heaven entered our lives and life was the way it should be-the way God intended for it to be-healthy. Shalom was our experience. (Little Sam was a big help as he just sat there quietly the whole time and ate his corndog!)

This is what I want for you today. I desire for you to know God’s blessing. May you turn to Him each day and receive from Him each word that you need to know His heart of blessing toward you. I want you to experience His blessing and join me in seeking to bless our city and to give this healing to the entire valley.

May you walk so closely to Him that you feel His presence. Your fears will melt away under the shadow of His wing. May your enemies be powerless to harm you in any way.
May you be near Him so as to feel His smile upon you and experience His favor toward you. May your life today be attended by His peace and may you become strong and healthy as a result.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 John 1:2

Chris

2 comments:

R.J. Adams said...

Hey Pastor Chris!!! It sounds like things are going great for you! Things are good for me here in California... girlfriend and I just reached 4 months... she's awesome, and it's great to see God blessing us. The church plant is going good. Not many people have shown up to the preview services but we know it's in God's time and God's will, not our own.

God bless!

Chris Bennett said...

thanks RJ Its good to hear from you.

Chris