Benediction Rite: May God Bless You and Keep You

May God bless you is a term that is commonly used for giving blessings to one another. For the same purpose, benediction prayer is used so that the lord can bless you and can keep you safe.

Benediction prayer helps to make the face of lord shine upon you and also be gracious to you. This prayer helps in turning the lord’s face towards you which ultimately will provide peace to the individual.

Origin and History (May God Bless You)

The meaning of the term Benediction is a short invocation that a person receives for getting divine help and blessing.

This is usually received at the end of the worship service. The term benediction is made from two words, Bene, which means well and Dicere, which means to speak.

This word also has a reference to the various Christian religious services like the exposition of Eucharistic host and also the blessing of the people which are associated with it.

The benediction prayer is considered to be a very beautiful and a short prayer which is written in a poetic form.

It can be found in the numbers 6:24-26 in the Bible and is considered to be one of the oldest poems which can be found in any written text.

This prayer is also famous by the name of bronze blessing or the blessing of the priest.

A Blessing Beyond Space and Time

The process of benediction can be simply understood as a blessing which is usually spoken whenever a worship service is getting over i.e. May God Bless You.

This closing prayer is for the followers so that they can be designed on the right and the required path which will lead them to God after the service is over.

Whenever a person is reciting the benediction prayer, he or she is directly inviting or asking the god for showering his blessings on them and also help in and guiding them in the various parts of life and finally providing them with peace.

This prayer is very famous and is spoken by the majority of the people all around the world for getting the divine blessings of the lord.

But mainly, this prayer is spoken today by the Christians and the Jewish faith communities. It is also being used by Roman Catholic services all around the world.

Whenever the ceremony of baptism is getting over, this prayer is usually recited and it is also recited in the wedding ceremony to shower blessings on the bride and groom.

Benediction Prayer – Variations in Religions

Benediction prayer is different for different religions. Certain religions are present which have several different benediction prayers for the followers to recite.

All the versions of benediction prayers are listed below:

1. The Aaronic Benediction Prayer

May the God bless you and keep you;
may He cause his spirit to shine on you
and be gracious to you; May He lift His smile on you and give you peace.

2. The Christian Benediction Prayer

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body;
and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,
with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another
with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Amen.” [Colossians 3:15-17]

3. The Roman Catholic Benediction Prayer

O God, the King eternal,
whose light divides the day from the night
and turns the shadow of death into the morning:
Drive far from us all wrong desires,
incline our hearts to keep your law,
and guide our feet into the way of peace;
that, having done your will with cheerfulness
during the day, we may, when night comes,
rejoice to give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord

4. The Priestly Blessing – Jewish Benediction Prayer

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart
Behold, he stands behind our wall
He looks in through the windows
Peering through the lattice

Benediction Prayer – May God Bless You

A lot of variations are present in the benedictions present in the different verses of the Bible. These verses are different in different versions of the Bible.

1. The New King James Version

The New King James Version has the following description in the bible:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

2. The New Living Translation

The New Living Translation has the following description in the bible:

May the God bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.

3. The English Standard Version

The English Standard Version has the following description in the bible:

The God bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift his countenance upon you
And give you peace.

4. The New International Version

The New International Version has the following description in the bible:

The God 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.

Conclusion

May God bless you, the most common form of blessing is being used with the Benediction prayer all around the world by people of various religions.

In this article, we have tried to cover the benediction prayer followed in various religions like Christians, Jews, Aaronic, and Roman catholic. So use these prayers and may God bless you and keep you.

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