Prayers of Blessing
“‘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.”—Numbers 6:24–26 (NIV)
“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.”—Psalm 67:1–2 (NIV)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”—Romans 15:13 (NIV)
Chances are, if you’ve been around the church for any time, you’ve heard the phrase “God bless you.” It’s a common phrase people say to communicate their desire for someone to experience God’s favor. On the other hand, it’s also shifted over time, turning into a passive or indirect way to communicate that someone needs God’s blessing because they’re in such a bad spot in life. Unfortunately, whether being used sincerely or snarkily, this saying has lost its biblical richness in our culture!
The idea of blessing has been completely misconstrued in our society to equal physical abundance and comfort—having lots of money, success, goods, kids, you name it. People will say, “I’m so blessed!” Although it’s true that any good thing we have from the Lord is a gift from Him that we don’t deserve (James 1:17), that also doesn’t mean that your lack or your less fortunate circumstances indicate that God isn’t blessing you. Understanding God’s blessing requires us to go back in the biblical narrative and trace what God’s blessing has always been connected to.
Blessing in Hebrew has always signified a gift, to be filled with strength or happiness, and to experience goodness. As a result, we must explore how God defines goodness. In the creation story of Genesis 1–2, God begins proclaiming what He sees as good. As the creator of the world, He labels His creation as good. Human beings existing in relationship with each other, with His creation, and with Himself is good. The best part of it all was that no sin or evil was separating or destroying it. Therefore, goodness is rooted in the unhindered relationship humans had with God in the very beginning. When Adam and Eve decided to do what was good and right in their own eyes, they sinned, and the rest of humanity has been suffering from that sickness ever since then.
However, God, in His mercy, established a plan from that very moment to restore and redeem His creation and His image-bearers. In Genesis 3:15, He tells the serpent that he’ll be crushed and defeated by His offspring, prophesying the coming of Jesus thousands of years later! The first time the word “bless” and “blessing” appear after this is in Genesis 12, when God calls Abram to be the father of the Israelite nation through whom Jesus would come! He tells Abram, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2–3 NIV).
When God speaks of blessing, He’s talking about the blessing of having a restored relationship with Him through Christ! The blessing is about walking with God, as we were always made to do, just like Adam and Eve in the garden, and just like our long history of brothers and sisters who chose to put their faith in God.
Does God bless people physically and temporally? Yes.
Does God also bless those who don’t have much physically? Yes.
Should you pray for God to provide for others physically? Yes.
Should you pray that God shows up in someone’s circumstances, whether rich or poor, for them to see and know Him? Yes.
Why? Because God’s blessing is ultimately about His presence and His provision. He always cares for His beloved.
This earth isn’t our home, but while we’re here, God wants to show up time and time again because He’s faithful. God wants us to pray for our daily bread, but He also wants us to pray that His kingdom come and His will be done. The best way you can pray a blessing over someone else’s life is to ask God to encounter them, make His presence known to them, give them wisdom and direction in this life, and supply them with every need to live wholeheartedly for Him!