What is a blessing?

Listen, as this woman explains it from her own experience.

At the end of my dad's life, when he was in the hospital, the family was gathered around him.

He asked to hold his one and only great-granddaughter.

And when she was placed in his arms, he quoted number six.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. I was real proud of him for doing that, that his

mind was so focused upon the Lord and leaving a legacy. This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast

with Nancy DeMoss Walgamuth, author of A Place of Quiet Rest for January 3, 2018.

Nancy wants to offer a benediction for 2017 and a blessing for the year ahead. You've probably heard those words before,

benediction and blessing, but do you really know what they mean? Nancy will provide fresh insight

in the series, The Lord Bless You and Keep You. In some of your churches, if you have a church

bulletin with an order of worship printed out,

you may notice that sometimes at the end there appears this word benediction.

What do we mean when we say they're doing a benediction at the close of a service?

It's a blessing. In the benediction, the word benediction means blessing, to speak well, to speak words of peace

or blessing. And I want us to look today at one of the most wonderful benedictions in all of

God's word. There are a number of benedictions in the scripture. At the end of many of the New

Testament epistles, you'll find some wonderful

benedictions, and they administer encouragement to us at the end of First Corinthians. Paul says,

the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. At the end of

Romans, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. So over and over again in the scripture we see benedictions, somebody speaking a word of blessing.

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