Hi how are you today? I am well. Happy Father’s Day to all those dads celebrating it in their country today. It is a special day where we honour dads and not only that but we celebrate the marvellous creation of male by God and one of the males purposes- to reproduce and have children and be their provider, security and safety. My own dad passed away seven years ago but I still remember and celebrate the influence he had on my life. Dads who do their role well are great!
Today I want to look at the blessing of the father. A lot of times the father in families is seen as provider, protector and punisher. But there is another side to their role which is of absolute importance – the blesser of the children.
We see this role played out in the Old Testament specifically in Genesis. Jacob blessed his 12 sons at the end of Genesis but I want to show you another story to really point out the importance of the blessing. It is found in Genesis 27 in the Message Bible. The story starts off with Isaac who believes it is his time to die and therefore impart the blessing into his oldest son. So he calls Esau in and gives him instructions in order to receive the blessing. His mother hears and instead forms a plan so the youngest son Jacob receives the blessing instead. For those that think this is not right- she is acting on the Word God spoke to her on the birth of the boys who were twins.
The youngest deceives his father and receives the blessing. The oldest son Esau comes in and his father told him his blessing had been given away. Esau’s response is found in verse 34 and states:
34 Esau, hearing his father’s words, sobbed violently and most bitterly, and cried to his father, “My father! Can’t you also bless me?”
Can you hear the anguish in Esau? This blessing was so important to him that he cried and cried with bitter tears. The blessing contained the promise of a good life after the father died. It was so important as those were the words that the oldest sons hoped in when life became tough.
This is the same for us. Our father God has a blessing for each one of us. That blessing is contained throughout the whole Bible. However I want to leave you with a few passages for you to dwell on and mull over in your hearts. Theses promises are for you and is what God is speaking over you. Psalm 103 in the Message Bible states:
1-2 O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
This psalm is us talking to ourselves and reminding ourselves of Gods blessings. Everything we need to live an amazing life is found in these verses.
God forgives me, He heals me, He redeems me, He crowns me and He gives me strength. God is the blesser of all things good in our lives. Meditate on these verses and see how good God is to you.
The blessing from God that I want to leave you with is found in Numbers 6: 24 – 26 in the NIV and states:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
This is a great blessing from God to pray over yourself. These few verses show us how God sees us as His son or daughter. It is God looking at us with love. It is hope for the future, a balm over our souls for the past and a declaration for today.
No matter what your dad was like, God is an amazing father and wants to pour out a blessing over you.
Have a great week and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
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