‘By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.’ Hebrews 11:20 KJV

Dad, here are two Bible ingredients for blessing your children and grandchildren:

(1) The power of prayer. In Scripture, a father’s blessing included an open-eyed prayer to God for his children. Isaac, who was a farmer, said to his son, ‘May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine.’ (Genesis 27:28 NIV) Have your children ever heard you talk to God about them? Perhaps they have heard you say harsh words like, ‘How could you be so stupid? Don’t you ever think? You will never amount to anything!’ If so, apologise today and ask for their forgiveness. Let them hear you invoke God’s richest blessing over each of their lives. A father’s prayer of blessing over his family is a powerful thing—it’s life-changing!

(2) The vision of a glorious future. The Bible says, ‘Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.’ (Proverbs 29:18 NASB) School counsellors tell us that many of their students lack vision. Why? Because they see nothing ahead for them except economic gloom, unemployment, and hard times. They need somebody to believe in them and their future, to believe they can succeed and live happy lives, and that the best is still ahead for them. Isaac didn’t wait for his boys to devise their own vision for the future. He prayed openly for their future success, their rise to prominence, and for respect and favour with family and society. Your kids don’t need you to manipulate them; they need you to motivate them. And you do that by blessing them!

SoulFood: Ezek 34–36, Mk 14:27–42, Ps 80:12–19, Prov 15:15–17

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©