God is doing a new thing in his church today. This great work of the Spirit cannot be found in a single location. It is happening worldwide, yet you do not have to travel far to behold it. Indeed, God’s “new thing” may be as close as a nearby church.
God is raising up ministers and people who will lay hold of his true blessing. This blessing has been misrepresented and defiled by the modern church, and now the Lord desires to renew it for the people he is calling forth. God told Moses that there was only one formula for his blessing (see Numbers 6:22-27) and other methods of blessing are unacceptable to him. The blessing he describes to Moses is threefold:
- “The Lord bless you and keep you” (Numbers 6:24). This speaks of the keeping power of Christ. It is the beginning of all blessings: the knowledge that we are kept by Christ himself. God’s last-days people will lay hold of his covenant promises to give them a new heart, a holy fear.
- “The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you” (6:25). This describes a church with a clear conscience, not a seared one. After all, God cannot show you his “face” — that is, the glory of his grace — until you are secure in him. This implies favor; you are no longer a stranger to God but favored in his eyes.
- “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (6:26). This speaks of an increase of God’s presence. Here is a mark of the new thing God is doing: a prostrated people who receive God’s touch of love and assurance. That intimate touch keeps them prostrate in prayer and they hear his voice clearly. All the while, a pure ministry is being birthed in them.
Servants who have been in God’s presence are not restless or driven. They are gifted with great peace, and because of that peace, they bear the very countenance of Christ. How wonderful to know that we can enter into his presence freely.