It's Your Turn to Say the Blessing!
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, my mind turns to all the traditions and rhythms that come with the holidays. One particularly meaningful practice is speaking the blessing over the Thanksgiving meal, usually led by my Father-in-law. He blesses the family and the food—in that order. In the nearly twenty-years since I was welcomed into their family, he has always taken the time to speak blessings over all three of his children—and eventually their spouses, their homes, and over all six of his grandchildren, too. It’s a moving moment, and one that I’ve seen from my grandfather(s), my dad, my father-in-law, and now as a dad myself, I have the same privilege of blessing my family.
In a particularly moving message yesterday, Pastor Keith reiterated the importance of passing our faith to our children, and to the next generation. He rehearsed for us the story of Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Mannaseh, and stressed how Jacob was prophetically setting the stage for how God would use those young men in the future. It’s a powerful story that emphasizes the need for fathers and mothers to speak life and blessing over their homes and children.
For some, that challenge might be intimidating, perhaps because they didn’t grow up with that experience—or perhaps new to the faith, they might not feel informed enough from Scripture to speak anything close to a blessing.
If you don’t have a regular practice of blessing your children or grandchildren, it’s not too late to start! Here are some quick tips to speaking the blessing over your family.
When it comes to blessing your family, speak from the overflow of your heart and spirit. Let the Lord lead you and speak through you over your children; He desires to see them succeed even more than we do!
If you’d like more information, and more thoughts about how to bless your family, check out this link, and follow Homefront magazine for lots of family content.
In a particularly moving message yesterday, Pastor Keith reiterated the importance of passing our faith to our children, and to the next generation. He rehearsed for us the story of Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Mannaseh, and stressed how Jacob was prophetically setting the stage for how God would use those young men in the future. It’s a powerful story that emphasizes the need for fathers and mothers to speak life and blessing over their homes and children.
For some, that challenge might be intimidating, perhaps because they didn’t grow up with that experience—or perhaps new to the faith, they might not feel informed enough from Scripture to speak anything close to a blessing.
If you don’t have a regular practice of blessing your children or grandchildren, it’s not too late to start! Here are some quick tips to speaking the blessing over your family.
- Routines – Most of our homes have a regular daily routine that doesn’t shift much from week to week. Consider adding a brief prayer before dropping your kids off at school, or sending them out the door to the bus stop. Or, just before bed as you make sure they brush their teeth, stand by their bed and speak a blessing over them as they rest. Meal times are also great opportunities to not only express gratitude for the food, but to also speak life and blessing over our families. Use the routines already in place to remind you to bless your family.
- Reach – Touch is a big part of human interaction, and with appropriate touch, we can affirm our families without even a word. Hold their hands, place your hands on their shoulders or their head, or even give them a hug and speak the blessing of God over them.
- Remember – If you’re not sure what to say, then take on the words of Scripture. There are lots of places and lots of verses we can pray over our children. Consider the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26; “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’” Or, consider the Psalms, the Proverbs, or the benedictions Paul, Peter, and Jude used in the New Testament.
- “Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psalm37:3-5) - “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6) - “(May) the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)
- “(May you) grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Pet 3:18)
- “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
When it comes to blessing your family, speak from the overflow of your heart and spirit. Let the Lord lead you and speak through you over your children; He desires to see them succeed even more than we do!
If you’d like more information, and more thoughts about how to bless your family, check out this link, and follow Homefront magazine for lots of family content.