Pray a Benediction

On Wednesdays, I meet with a group of women at my church to pray. Our pastor's wife closes our weekly meetings with a benediction from Hebrews 13:20-21. I have found it a powerful close to a session of prayer.

Our pastor closes each service with the Aaronic benediction (see Number 6:24-26), and when we have a visiting pastor who chooses not to use the traditional blessing, I find I miss it.

At Sonlight, we meet in small groups daily to pray for various needs, for the unreached people of the world, and most particularly for Sonlighters as they teach their children. We recently added a set of cards with a variety of benedictions from the Bible to each prayer group. We ask one person to close our prayer time by reading one of the benedictions. I feel greatly blessed when we pray Scripture.

I list the passages we use at Sonlight below--feel free to print them out, place them on a key-type ring, and use them with your family. I'd be grateful to add any additional blessings you find, or use. May you be blessed as you do so!

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.

Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.

II Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Amen.

II Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Amen.

II Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20, 21 (NIV)

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 6:23, 24 (NIV)

23 Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20, 21 (NIV)

20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
21 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.

II John 1:3 (NIV)

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love. Amen.

Jude 24-25 (NIV)

24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Jude 20, 21 (NIV)

20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Amen.

II Peter 1:2, 3 (NIV)

2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Amen.

I Peter 4:11b (NIV)

11 . . . in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I Peter 5:10, 11 (NIV)

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Philippians 4:19, 20 (NIV)

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:23 (NIV)

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Psalms 4:6 (NIV)

6 Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. Amen.

Psalms 19:14 (NIV)

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Psalms 121:7, 8 (NIV)

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Amen.

Psalms 29:11 (NIV)

11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Amen.

Psalms 89:52 (NIV)

52 Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen

Revelation 1:5b, 6 (NIV)

5 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Revelation 7:12 (NIV)

12 . . . saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Revelation 22:21 (NIV)

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Amen.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Romans 15:5, 6 (NIV)

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Romans 16:24 (NIV)

24 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.

Romans 16:25-27 (NIV)

25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,
26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him—
27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

II Thessalonians 2:16, 17 (NIV)

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.

I Thessalonians 3:11-13 (NIV)

11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.
12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. Amen

II Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. Amen.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24, 28 (NIV)

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

I Timothy 1:17 (NIV)

17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Amen.

Philippians 4:8, 9 (NIV)

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Amen.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Amen.

Psalm 125:1, 2 (NIV)

1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Amen.

Ephesians 1:17-20 (NIV)

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, Amen.

II Peter 3:17, 18 (NIV)

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.