Turning Scripture into Blessing
Our God loves to bless His children—such as you and me.
You will find His blessings throughout Scripture, with this priestly blessing one of the most known:
May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’ (Number 6:24-26)
So it is no surprise that our God also wants us to be channels of His blessing to others, and for us to choose to bless the people in our lives, whether family, friends, neighbors—or even enemies.
We often bless others when we meet a need, or do a favor, or sit and listen. And those are beautiful blessings in action.
But we can also bless with words written or spoken or prayed.
Sometimes we are good at saying “God bless you” when someone sneezes or sets off on big trip or adventure. But most of us aren’t comfortable saying what seems like a trite phrase, and we surely don’t know how to speak a specific blessing to someone.
So let me try to help. Fifteen years in a prodigal wilderness taught me a lot about giving and speaking blessings to our wanderer.
Blessings from the Word
I find the Word of God gives me many ways to shower blessings on the people in my life. When I read Scripture, sometimes the words jump out at me that “that is just what someone I care about needs.” Or perhaps I think someone could use patience, or hope, or wisdom, or forgiveness. I look for Scripture to pray that for that person. And I often turn that Scripture into a blessing.
So how does it work? Here are some examples.
Perhaps a loved one or friend has had some hard days. You read this in Jeremiah 32:40: “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them….”
You could write or speak or pray a blessing over them: May you know that it gives God joy to always do good to you.
If someone you care about has experienced painful, even traumatic, loss in their life, you might claim Joel 2:25 for them: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten….”
A simple blessing might be, May all the days and years of your life stolen by the evil one be restored.
And for that person who feels like a failure, with no real future, consider 1 Corinthians 2:9: ““What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived— the things God has prepared for those who love him….”
Bless them with this: May God open your eyes and ears to see and hear what God has prepared for you.
If you are sending someone on mission or outreach trip, Matthew 5:16 would be a great blessing: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
You might pray this for them: May the light of your life shine brightly into the darkness around you.
Try these out
I’m sure you see how easy that is. So let me give you a few more blessings from Scripture that you can use when they are just right for a need or situation.
May the comfort, peace and healing of God bring praise to your lips. (Isaiah 57:18,19)
May the saltiness of your life make people around you thirsty for the living water. (Matthew 5:13)
May your consistent connection to the True Vine bear abundant fruit for the Kingdom. (John 15:5,8)
May your faith cause you to take risks in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 8:25)
May the sacrificial love of Jesus cause you to lay down your life for others daily. (John 15:12-13)
I encourage you to make blessing people one of your beautiful reflections of the image of God in you.
What about you? Who can you bless today?
C2022 Judy Douglass
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