What a BLESSING

The Power of Speaking Blesing Over Your Children

​Truthfully, this topic is one of the more life-giving themes in raising all children.  It encompasses more than just the power of speaking blessing;  it includes the power of the words we say. 
 
It’s hard to know whether to start with the former or the latter, since they are so intertwined together.   Let’s throw a dart and start with the power of words in general.
 
The Bible has much to say about the power of spoken words.
 
Proverbs 12:6, “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
 
Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building other up according to their needs, that It may benefit those who listen.
 
Matthew 12: 36, “But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgement for every idle/careless word they have spoken.  For by your words, you will be freed and by your words you will be condemned.,
 
Matthew 12:34b, “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
 
Chapter 3 of James is a whole section on the power of spoken words and how they steer  life toward heaven or hell.   Listen to what James 3: 6 says about the power of the tongue, which would be the same as words we speak:
 
 “The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
 
But the most powerful verse of all on this matter is Proverbs 18:21:
 
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
 
That is an incredible insight into the power of our words: We have the Power of Life and Death on the tip of our tongue.
 
Moreso, I’m reminded of the power that God’s words have.  Think of Genesis and how God spoke the world into being.  “Let there be…”  and it was so.  It wasn’t just a creative act.  It was THE creative act from THE Creator.   
 
And God said…
 
He spoke and everything he said happened.  It was Ex-nilio; creating from nothingness.  That is POWERFUL STUFF.
 
At this point, I want to veer off the path a bit and suggest something you may not  have ever considered.   The more I study the nature of creation and created order, especially in Genesis, and put it into the context of what the Bible says about the power of spoken words,  I wonder if that same creative ability was available to us (mankind) in the Garden.  In Genesis 2:15, we’re told that God put man in the Garden of Eden to work and maintain it.  However, the nature of ‘work’ was never toil.  The curse on man was that he would sweat while working.  That was post-sin, not pre-sin.  What happened?  I believe that we were able to speak life, like God.  Hoeing?  Weeding?  Trimming?  Nope.  I think we just had the same creative power (to a lesser extent, perhaps) that God had when He created us.  Genesis 1:27 says the we were created in God’s image.  Oddly enough, we’re the only part of creation (at least now) that uses words.  That ability was lost when sin was introduced to the world and God’s creation was cursed.   I also believe that we will eventually be taken back to a restored Eden or creation where the curse of sin has been broken.  Revelation 22:3 says, “No longer will there be any curse.”  This is a reference to the celestial city of God.  His eternal kingdom on Earth.   The result?  No more sweat.
 
I don’t want to belabor the point.  However, it does serve to set up what we want to say about speaking blessing:  WORDS ARE POWERFUL.
 
There is a long history in the Bible of spoken blessings being passed down from fathers to sons, from leaders to their people, from God to his followers.
In modern times, a father’s blessing echoes the original blessing from God the Father to humanity. God intends for this to mirror one of His first blessings to Father of Israel: Abraham.
Genesis 12: 2, 3 says, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”   As God chooses the one man on the planet to bring his plan of redemption to all peoples throughout time, he blesses him. 
Isaac then blesses Jacob, who was NOT the rightful heir to the blessing by birth but through God’s design: (Genesis 27:27-29)
Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.
May God give you heaven’s dew
    and earth’s richness--
    an abundance of grain and new wine.
May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.
When Jacob is at the end of his life, he too blesses his sons, predicting success for some, and struggle and exile for others (Genesis 49).  Crucially, in the story of Jacob blessing his sons, he is bestowing an identity upon them, recognizing qualities within them that will lead to success and blessing or failure.
In Numbers (6:22-27), God tells Moses and Aaron how to bless the people, by speaking these words over them:
“‘“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’
Consider this a PRIESTLY prayer that the Lord commanded them to say over the people. Now make the connection of that to a father’s role in the family and his position in the household.
Jesus blesses his disciples at his ascension.  Most importantly as it relates to this subject, Jesus blessed the children!  Mark 10:16 says,  “And Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them.”
Paul regularly blesses the hearers of his letters.
So, we have shared the power of the spoken word and the precedent for spiritual blessing.  It seems hard to imagine that anyone who is reading this needed us to make a case for blessing.  Still, it isn’t practiced in the home on a regular basis.  Most  people seem to reserve it for only special occasions.  Why is that?  Perhaps it seems old fashioned?  Perhaps people feel there is a formula to follow and they don’t know or understand it? 
Here are some simple truths about blessings to use in beginning a practice of speaking blessings and life to the members of your family and even to a larger community around you:

• Blessings are spoken aloud.
• Spoken blessings are words that impart power and purpose into someone’s life.  They speak truth over someone, and they recognize the work that God is doing in that person.  They declare the truths and promises of Scripture over a person’s life. This is one of the reasons, I wanted to caveat the idea of blessing with the power of spoken words.  Remember that your words can bring LIFE or death.  Words of blessing carry the weight and authority of heaven.  God’s blessings are meant to protect us, to guide us on the path of righteousness, and to give us hope.  
• Blessings remind us of who we are and where we are going.  This is important!  Speaking into our identity through Christ is a valuable part of blessing. Like the different blessings bestowed by Jacob over his 12 children, they should be a reflection of God’s design for their life.  Words should be measured in light of God’s purposes and plans for them.  As a parent, you will always have windows into seeing God’s plans HIS/your children.  You will be able to see their giftings, even in their immaturity.  My pastor used to say to me, “Find out what God is doing and get involved in THAT.”  This is what you’re doing in blessing.  You are partnering with God and affirming what HE is already doing in the life of a child.  By declaring it with your words, you give it the weightiness of spiritual authority. You are part of ‘calling it forth’. 
• A spoken blessing, at its most basic level, is a positive statement that invokes the blessing of God in the life of another person.
• Be consistent with blessing.  Most people will do this at night when they put their children to bed.  I have developed lullabies for each of my grandsons.  They reflect the intention of God’s purposes in their names.  For example, my oldest grandson is named Koen Rayner Smith.   His name was chosen based on meaning:  Wise and Courageous Warrior.  These are the attributes my son is calling forth in Koen through naming and blessing.  Each night, they sing the lullaby I wrote for him…..every night!  Don’t wait for a special occasion to speak blessing over your children.

You are wise, you are strong, you are courageous
To the Lord you belong, He is your strength
Koen Rayner, don’t be afraid
Koen Rayner, always be brave
You are wise you are strong, you are courageous
To the Lord you belong, He is your shield.

• When speaking blessing over your child lay your hands on him and make him look you in the eye.  Posturing is a biblical principle.  The reason we practice spiritual disciplines in our life is because they put us in the proper posture to hear from God.  Speaking blessing to your child regularly can reinforce this idea.  When blessing groups, it’s good to have them cup their hands in a posture to receive blessing.  Do you see the connection?
• Blessings are NOT prayers.  Your words are NOT being directed to God.  They are being directed to an individual.
• I don’t believe that words of encouragement are blessings.  Blessings are always positive and they should encourage the person.  But ‘you’re doing a great job and I’m sure the Lord is pleased with you’ is not a blessing.
• Use Bible Verses.  This should be a no brainer.  You can always use the priestly blessing of Numbers 6.  Paul has several great blessings for groups at the end of his letters.  2 Timothy 3:16, 17 says.” All scripture is God-breathed and is USEFUL for teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good deed.”  I believe that ‘raising up a child in the way they should go’ has a lot to do with affirming them in their gifts and talents and God’s plans and purposes for their lives.  So, if God brings Scripture to mind in speaking blessing over  child as it relates to blessing, you can’t be too far off the mark.

Proverbs 10:11 says, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.”  How do we harness words to speak life to those we love and more to those who have been entrusted to our care in this life?  How do we speak life to a lost and dying world?  Understanding the biblical foundations of speaking blessing will help in that.
Note:  For more information on Blessing lullaby’s for your children, contact jeff@saltandlightmin.org. 

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