I first shared this Blessing stitchery as a free gift back in 2013, and later gifted the completed design to a friend far away. It's been on my heart to share it again, and I think mostly because in a world that can too often seem dark and unsure these days, we have need of daily reminders from God's Word - reminders that within the darkness there is always Light.
I do not take blessings lightly, and nor did Jesus. When His disciples wanted to shoo away the little children which gathered around Christ, He rebuked them, and instead gathered the little ones near Him, some on his knee, and with love such as only He can give, lay His holy hands on those wee ones and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)
That story, a remembrance of our Lord written and recorded in the Bible for every generation to read and learn from, grew me deeper in my understanding of this great Shepherd and the lengths He went to so that we could have one-on-one relationship with God, His Father and ours, every moment of the day, and in every circumstance we face - be it praise, tears, comfort, loneliness, pain, rejoicing, sorrow, loss, joy or gain.
The gift of a blessing, especially a prayer blessing which holds more spiritual power and hope than a physical gift, can lift a veil from life-weary hearts so they can clearly see and consider Christ in their unique situation - for friend, He is in every situation we face.
Though you may be praying for an answer which does not seem forthcoming in the way you desire, HE IS at work in your life story, in each moment, bringing the pieces together so that at the right time a beautiful picture begins to form and the eyes of our understanding are opened at last. (Ephesians 1:18)
Answers may come in hours, or days. But some take months, years, even decades. And that's as it should be if it is according to the Father's will.
So often in our flesh we believe we know what's best and what should be done 'now', and that's how we pray to God - as though twisting His arm to do what 'we know' is best. But friend, no-one can twist the arm of God to get their own way, for we only see life through our clouded natural eyes here on earth, and all we comprehend is distorted in some way by our limited human understanding.
You know, a blessing of peace is what I desire for myself, and it is also a blessing I love to pray over others, for the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6) is a foundation to the believer's ability to carry on through trials and to trust God in the path before them.
I wrote HERE recently the full meaning of this Numbers 6:24-26 blessing, which far exceeds the words we read on the page of our Bible. Within this verse you meet God as Father, bending down towards us in kindness and mercy...it's simply beautiful.
When I drew up this new version of the Blessing design, mostly just changing the font, my darling daughter Blossom offered to stitch it for me to photograph and I gratefully accepted. Stitching time is always constant in my day but at the time I had a number of new patterns which also needed to be hand embroidered before my new monthly Club was launched, and though I would have made the time to stitch Blessing in order to share it again with you, I realised how important it was to my daughter that she stitch these words of peace. She is so precious, and in doing this Blossom not only blessed me, but she poured love into every stitch as this will become a gift for someone special in her life who has had some very difficult trials this past year.
If you would like to stitch Blessing for your home, as a gift, or both, use the link below to download the free pattern...
DOWNLOAD the Blessing stitchery pattern
I also thought you might be blessed by some gentle and heartfelt worship music. This has been played numerous times in the background this week and I find myself stopping often from my tasks to lift my hands and voice to heaven. Enjoy...
The Wet Season has now arrived, and just after midnight, in the early hours of Monday morning, it heralded it's presence with a mighty downpour.
At 5am hubby was outside clearing a blocked pump as the backyard had once more become a sea of water.
Once the pump was cleared the water began to move and an hour later we could see the grass again, though everything was rather sodden for the rest of the day - but what I love about the rain is how much better it is for the garden than tap water. After rain things grow at twice the rate (even weeds unfortunately) and when you wander around observing the plants and trees a day or two later you discover an abundance of blossoms and green shoots coming out everywhere.
The large sunflower we saved looked a bit sorry for itself after the heavy rain...
...but new sunflowers are beginning to bloom and I'm so excited as I have always wanted a yard full of them!
There's blossoms and tiny fruit forming on the guava tree now...
...and this year I shall be tending them with greater care than the previous few summers we have been here, as I would dearly love to enjoy this fruit before the birds devour it.
The petunias drooped after the rain, though they perked up next morning and I noticed some have self seeded - yay!
Once the water subsided in the yard, the heat and humidity of the late tropical spring returned and our Sophie cat decided the best way to cool off was to lay on the wet earth under the clothesline. Odd for a cat, but she is an odd old girl in so many ways.
I was asked to share my savoury scrolls and baked custard recipes with you, so that will be ready in my next post - maybe end of the week?
Know that I am praying this blessing over all of you reading this post today...
The LORD bless you and keep you,
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
hugs
