Several years ago, I was over at my buddy Jeff’s house when he sent his son to bed for the third time. Rustin looked up at his dad and told him, “But, Dad… I can’t go to sleep without my blessing!” Jeff apologized and then went into his son’s bedroom to pray a blessing over him. For the first time in my life, the concept of a parent’s blessing became a very real thing to me.
Years later, when we had our first child, I decided I wanted my children to grow up with a strong concept of a parent’s blessing. Because of this, we pray a blessing over our girls each night. I want my children to desire the blessing of their parents… and I want them to desire it daily. The words sometimes vary, but we often close our evening prayers by praying something similar to the words we found in a song some time ago.
Recently, I offered to share this with an acquaintance of mine. In case anyone else in interested, I offer it here as well.
My child, may the God of Abraham bless you richly.
May He bless you with the love of Christ,
With the zeal of Paul,
And the wisdom of Solomon.
May God the Holy Spirit fill your heart with the fruit of the Spirit,
And may Jesus be the center and cornerstone of your life
Both now and for always.
My child, may God bless you richly.
I think it is really nice of what you do with your girls. I can tell that they are going to grow up to be daddys girl. I am and I act just like him. Sometimes i wish i could sit down and pray with my family. But its hard because we all do seperate things. I really like your website though,its nice!
Thanks for dropping by, Stubblefield. Have you ever asked your fam if you could all pray together? I know we all are busy… trust me, I know how busy folks can get… but maybe they would respond well if you asked. You don’t really have anything to lose by asking!
Blair- that’s fantastic. It’s a stunning image in my mind.
What an awesome experience. I am vividly reminded of how much David was blessed because he sought to honor his family (real and surrogate)and he desired God’s blessing. Even in the midst of great trials his desire for God’s blessing was an overwhelming force working in him.