Allen Tate
Another new year is upon us, and Nancy and I want to give you a New Year’s blessing. As we prayerfully consider blessings, we find the most meaningful ones are not original. The most important needs and desires of individuals and the body of Christ are fundamental and timeless: peace, love, and the favor of God on us and our families; happiness, joy, and fellowship with God; the desire to be witnesses, examples, sources of light, and representatives of Christ to others.
Numbers 6:24–26 (NIRV) speaks a blessing concerning our relationship with God:
May the Lord bless you and take care of you.
May the Lord smile upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord look on you with favor and give you His peace.
Deuteronomy 7:9 speaks of God showing His love to a thousand generations of those who love Him. Taken as a blessing, we can say:
And His favor be upon you that love Him,
To a thousand generations,
To your family, and your children,
And their children, and their children.
As we come to the close of another year and are given a new one, we are so thankful for the goodness of God and His faithfulness. Songs that have been especially meaningful to us this last year have to do with the goodness of God and speaking His blessing on others.
Entering this new year, we again speak His ageless blessing over your life:
May the Lord bless you, guide you, and protect you.
May that which He desires find expression in you.
May your lives generate peace.
May your words release life and healing.
May we, as the body of Christ, be a light that shines.
May the Lord bless you as never before!