Your Family Needs A Biblical Blessing

“Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains…” Genesis 49:26 NIV

The other Sunday I was on my knees praying at the altar when Deryck, a little three year old boy in our church came up and stood very close to me, as if he was listening to what I was telling the Lord. I reached out, as I often do, and put my arms around him and prayed a blessing over him.

I prayed that God would bless him and protect him from evil and from harm. I prayed that God would keep His hand on him and that he would grow up to love and serve the Lord. I asked God to ever meet his needs. I also prayed a blessing on his home and on his parents. When I released him, he kind of threw himself down and said to nobody but himself, “He prayed for me! He prayed for me.”

I believe prayers of blessing are powerful—they are scriptural. Not only should we be praying blessings over our children but we should also be blessing our spouse.

Let’s look at a Biblical blessing. What does it contain?

Gary Smalley and John Trent in their book, The Gift of the Blessing, points out the following aspects of an Old Testament blessing:

1. We are created to be blessed. God created the man and the woman—then He blessed them. [Genesis 1:27, 28]

2. We are created to bless. God promised Abraham that through him the world would be blessed. [Genesis 12:3]

3. Blessings are given to unite us as a unit. It unites us together under God. [Deuteronomy 33:1-5]

4. Blessings are a time to call on God’s protection. [Genesis 28:1-4]

5. The blessing was used to mark an important rite of passage, such as a birth, the Bar Mitsva, a marriage and other significant milestones. [Ruth 4:14, 15]

Smalley and Trent go on to give us in detail the five elements of a Biblical Blessing. Here I will just list them and enlarge on them in future articles.

1. A family blessing begins with meaningful touch. Our children, and even your spouse, are crying out to be hugged and kissed. [Genesis 27:26] The act of touch communicates warmth and personal acceptance.

2. A family blessing will be spoken—words of love and acceptance. [Gen. 27:27-29]

3. Words are also spoken that express high value and attaches honor to the one being blessed.

4. A family blessing pictures a special future for the person being blessed. These words are not forgotten by the one blessed and they become goals to attain.

5. A family blessing contains an active commitment of support for the one being blessed.

Do you have a family altar—a time of daily devotion? Are you actively and overtly blessing your family? Is your family hearing daily words of love and support? Remember: What you say to your family returns to you with interest.

Leave a Comment





Archives

You might also like these articles...

Daddy…You Must First Do Your Homework!

And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Luke 12:39 It takes a strong and a good man to set priorities and to protect his family. If you ask most men…

Read More

Opening The Windows Of Heaven

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:” Proverbs 3:9-11 My son, if you desire to get…

Read More

Adolescence Is Now Pre-Teen

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (I Corinthians 13:11). We have renamed the “Junior” Sunday School literature and now call it “Pre–Teen” for a reason. The reason is that these children are maturing physically earlier…

Read More