And I Will Bless ThemSýnishorn

In the Beginning...

When God created the world, He did so by speaking a word. Hebrews 1 says that in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son. Jesus said that His sheep recognize His voice.

Our God is a speaking God, unlike the other pretender gods we manufacture for ourselves. And He has spoken blessing from the very beginning. In fact, the first thing God did when He created men and women was to bless them (Gen. 1:28).

Later, He made promises of blessing to Abraham, tying the concept of blessing into future history.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“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 people on Earth

will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:1-3 NIV)

You and I are inheritors of the blessings of Abraham. We have received the blessing of the news of the sacrificial death of our Savior and have believed. Now His Spirit is in us as a deposit of all that is to come in the fullness of time. We carry news of great blessing, and we are called to express it.

Notice that God said these things to Abraham. Fundamentally, blessing is spoken word. We might receive a gift and express our gratitude for it by writing a note to say how blessed we were. However, if we were to take an infant to a church service for a blessing, we wouldn’t expect to receive a greeting card saying, “Welcome to this world; have a good life!” We would expect words of significance to be spoken aloud in Jesus’s name.

When we speak out blessings, saying the words aloud, we are imitating God. The Holy Spirit then confirms those words. At that moment, Creation’s redemption is underway and the lion roars again.

As you encounter people throughout the rest of this day, prayerfully ask God what words He might be calling you to share with them.