“Bless this year for us, O Lord our God, together with all the varieties of its produce for our good. Give a blessing upon the face of the earth. And satisfy us with your goodness. Bless our year like the best of years. Blessed are you, O Lord, who blesses the years.”
Feast and famine, good and bad, we measure our days by our perception of life. This prayer asks God for good for us and for others and for satisfaction with life.
Life is full of good days and bad. There are curves in life that throw us off (Ge 31:38-42). Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt 6:34) Job 1-2 is the story of what can happen when things get bad. It is also the story of how to make things good, for Job refused to dishonor his God and in the end was given more than he lost.
The people of Israel needed God to bless them. They faced disease (Nu 11:33), famine (Ge 12:10; 26:1), wars (Ge 14:15; Judges 6:3), wild animals (Ge. 31:39; Ex 22:13, 31; Dt 28:49), insects (Dt 28:38f) and many other threats. They desired, as we do today, God’s blessings for years of good.
The Bible tells us, “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:” Deut 28:1-2)
Sometimes we think that bad and good come by chance: but this philosophy fails to recognize that God is in control of all things, and sometimes what we perceive to be good is not so good; and sometimes what we experience as horrible turns out for good (James 1). The scripture says: “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Ro. 8:28)
This is the key to the prayer for years of good, to remain close to the Lord. Solomon said, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” (Pr. 3) The Lord said, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron 7:13-14; 1 Kin 8:37)
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