Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
Hebrews 13 closes with this benediction:
Now may the God of peace,
who through the blood of the eternal covenant
raised from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great Shepherd of the sheep,
equip you with everything good for doing his will,
and may he work in us what is pleasing to him,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
(Heb 13:20)
How would you describe God? Perhaps as the God of creation? The God of righteousness? Maybe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?
The Bible describes God in many ways. The Old Testament’s favorite description points to history, calling him the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Israel.
The author of Hebrews sees God as “a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), and warns, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).
But now, as the author closes his letter, he casts God in a more gentle light. Here, he’s the “God of peace” (Heb 13:20), who presides over an eternal covenant of peace made through Jesus Christ, who is pictured as a shepherd caring for his sheep.
The benediction in Hebrews 13 also describes two changes God wants in our lives: an interior renovation and an exterior change.
First the exterior. Hebrews says, “May the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will” (v. 20). I take this to mean, May God set you up with resources to do his work in the world.
God’s “Mission Impossible”, which he has chosen to accept, is to reclaim and restore the world and its people to a peaceable relationship with him and an ordered relationship with each other. Our mission is to be missionaries in God’s big mission. God equips us for his world-restoring mission by making us part of his family, giving us skills to use in the world–such as hospitality, teaching, prayer, and others/ And he shows us how to use them.
God’s second renovation project is to renovate our hearts. Jesus said, “From within, out of the heart, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander” (Mark 7:21-22). God wants to turn off the taps of bad stuff that comes from our hearts, and turn on the taps that will cause love, joy, and peace to flow from within. As the author of Hebrews says, “May he work in us what is pleasing to him”.
Let’s pray.
O God of peace,
who through the blood of the eternal covenant
raised from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great Shepherd of the sheep,
we ask you to
equip us with everything good for doing your will,
and to work in us what is pleasing to you,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube
Pray with Me 