May He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food,
supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your
righteousness. (2 Cor 9:10, NKJV)
There is almost never
a bad time for a blessing. Saying "goodbye" before heading out the
door in the morning can be a time for blessing. Encouraging someone in their
time of trouble can be an occasion for blessing. A hospital visit is definitely
a moment for blessing. A note in a card for a birthday, graduation or any
celebration is a perfect opportunity to speak blessing into someone else's
life. As you begin to practice the priestly duty of blessing, you may be amazed
by how frequently the Holy Spirit will nudge you to impart a blessing.
Parents may speak
Scriptures in blessing their children and grandchildren. Spouses may speak
blessings to strengthen their relationship with one another and affirm one
another in ways they have never experienced. I had a ministry teacher who shared
how every morning she prayed and blessed her husband before he left for work. She
prayed for an umbrella of protection and said a blessing over him. What a
wonderful way to start your day! Siblings can bless siblings. Congregations can
bless their pastors and pastors, their flocks. Friends may bless friends.
Anyone who wants to impact the life of another person with the language of God
can use blessings for that purpose.
Scriptures
create blessings. In other words, the language of God is used to phrase
each blessing. Although the blessings are extracted from their Biblical
context, great care need be taken to preserve the essence of each Scripture.
The vibrancy of God’s Word is retained, even though the applications may be
new.
Allow me to cite some
examples for clarification. The context in chapter one of First Timothy is Paul
describing how he was entrusted with the Good News, even though he was the
“number one sinner.” Despite his history of blasphemy and persecution, he was
granted God’s grace and forgiveness. Paul continued in verse 14, “The grace of
our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are
in Christ Jesus” (NIV). This verse also expresses a beautiful truth about God’s
grace toward all of us who are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of
God. Adapt 1Timothy 1:14 as a blessing in this way, “May the grace of the Lord pour out
on you abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
In doing so, we are able to convey the message of God’s mercy and grace to
others as we bless them. Though the application has changed, this truth clearly
applies to us just as it did to Paul.
Another example of how a
Scripture is customized into the form of a blessing is 2 Samuel 22:34 (a
thanksgiving psalm of David) where we read, “He
makes me as surefooted as a deer, leading me safely along the mountain heights”
(NLT). God’s protection based on this verse
reads, “May God make you as
surefooted as a deer, leading you safely along the mountain heights.”
It may seem a complex issue to know what to say in
blessing someone but God has provided us all the right words for every need,
purpose and type of blessing we could ever speak into the lives of others.
Remember, His Word is more powerful and creative and beautiful than anything we
could come up with on our own anyway. Why would we even want anything else?
May you be like the morning light at dawn, like a morning without
clouds. May you be like sunshine after a rain that makes the grass sprout from
the ground. (2 Sam 23:4, NCV)
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