Life Purpose Health

The Power of Verbal Blessings

What Happens When We Bless?

Janny had no doubt that her father loved her but she wanted to have better communication with him. She asked God to bless him with the qualities that would bring this about. That very night he called her up and demonstrated the very qualities that she listed in her blessing. These have continued and she is amazed at the power of her verbal blessing.

 

Elizabeth liked to keep her bedroom neat and orderly. However, her younger sister shared her room but not her vision. Arguments often erupted and no solution worked until she asked God to bless her sister with neatness and orderliness. That night, her sister called and said, “I have a surprise for you. Our room is all neat and in order!"

 

Bethany's eleven year old brother was not only a constant source of irritation to her, but a difficult problem for the entire family. Daily, they argued and fought with one another. She began crying out for the Lord to bless her brother with a loving heart for others and a peaceful spirit. Without either one even realizing, the arguments completely stopped and a bond began between them. Since that time they have not argued once and still are enjoying the rewards of a deep friendship.

 

What Happens When We Bless?

There are four primary reasons for the power and effectiveness of a verbal blessing. We need to know these and develop skills in using them, because giving a verbal blessing is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress.

1. The Need to Guard Our Heart

When we realize that to bless another person actually means to kneel down before God in order to receive a blessing from Him, a whole new meaning and motivation to giving verbal blessings is revealed.

 Our natural response to those who irritate or offend us is to enter into contention with them. This fact only confirms that we are proud, because, "Only by pride cometh contention . . ." (Proverbs 13:10). Therefore, when two people are in conflict with each other, it proves that both of them are proud. However, either one of them can transform the situation by giving a verbal blessing.

When we humble ourselves by giving a blessing, we receive more of the power of God’s grace, because, ". . . God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). This grace will be expressed by our speech, as Scripture states, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt . . .” (Colossians 4:6).

2. It Invokes the Power of God’s Name

There is power in the name of God and in the name of Jesus. It is in His name that there is healing along with signs and wonders. (See Acts 4:30.) When we use God’s name in a Biblically-based blessing, He empowers the one we bless to carry out the requests of that blessing. 

Abraham was told by God that He would bless his descendants so that they, in turn, could bless all the nations of the earth. Therefore, God gave the priests the exact words to use in blessing His people. These words are found in Numbers 6:24 and begin with, “The Lord bless thee.” At the conclusion, God states, “They shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27).

3. It Uses the Power of Our Tongue

There is great power in the words that we speak, whether they are for good or evil, as Scripture states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue . . .” (Proverbs 18:21). The awesome power of our words is indicated by the fact, “. . . every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).

 Ironically, the same word for "blessing" in Hebrew is also used for "cursing." When Jacob blessed his twelve sons, some of the “blessings” were actually curses, because they were based on the behavior of each son. (See Genesis 49.)

One of the most important reasons for honoring our father and mother is to receive their verbal blessings. Failure to receive their blessing will greatly damage the potential we have for our lives.

For this reason, Paul points out that the fifth commandment is the first commandment with a promise attached to it, “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3).

4. It is Based on the Power of Scripture

". . . the word of God is quick [living] and powerful . . ." (Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, when we bless a person, we should base our blessing on Scripture and Scriptural truths, rather than saying, “I bless you to be prosperous,” we should say, “May the Lord bless you with His blessing that ". . . maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

Must the One Who Blesses be Spiritual?

Eli was not a very spiritual priest. He was grossly overweight because he ate the forbidden fat of sacrifices, his sons were immoral, and he falsely accused Hannah of being drunk. Yet, he blessed her to have a son, and she conceived and gave birth to Samuel. After Samuel, God also blessed her with five more children.

How Can I Get a Blessing From My Dad?

A father’s blessing is one of the most valuable gifts we can receive, yet very few dads give a blessing to their sons and daughters. The most common reason for this tragedy is that most fathers do not know what to say. A wise son or daughter will, therefore, write out the blessing that they want to receive from their dad and ask him to read it over them. 

This is similar to having a lawyer write up a contract for us to sign, since we do not know what legal terminology to use. When we sign it, we validate the entire contract. In the same way, a father’s reading of our blessing validates that blessing.