THE FATHER’S BLESSING.
MEMORISE:
The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Genesis 49:26
READ: Genesis 27:22-29
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
MESSAGE:
God is the Ultimate Father. In fact, He prefers the title of Father to God. No wonder when Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9, He said they should start with “Our Father”. As a Father, God likes to bless His children. The first thing He did when He created man and woman was to bless them (Genesis 1:27-28). He has also transferred some of that power to fathers on earth. This means that when your earthly father blesses you, it is as though God Himself is blessing you; it is irreversible. We see this in Genesis 27:33:
“And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.”
Your father’s blessing will propel you to tremendous greatness. In Genesis 27:38-40, Esau only got a remnant of the blessing from Isaac, yet in Genesis 32:6, we see that he had four hundred bodyguards. The first time a president attended one of our programmes at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria, he came along with two hundred and fifty bodyguards, Esau went to meet Jacob with four hundred bodyguards. That is what only a remnant of the blessing can do. In Genesis 27-29, we see that it can also make nations run helter-skelter to help you.
Nothing good comes cheap however, the father’s blessing is costly too, especially when it is from the heart. When Isaac wanted to bless Esau, he asked for something he loved. When you make your father happy, he will bless you from his heart. I had just arrived at the airport in Heathrow and I was carrying two big bags. There were two of my children-in-the-Lord there. One of them just greeted me while the other one ran to take my bags. I told the latter “God bless you”. The other one then said “Daddy, you did not say “God bless you” to me”. I asked. “What did you do to warrant me blessing you?” when you make your father happy, he will bless you from his heart.
Now, what can you gift your father-whether biological or spiritual. That could provoke him to bless you from his heart such that heaven would back it up? Present it to him in such a way that he would be happy with you; then ask him to bless you.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, guide me to do something that will provoke my fathers (biological and/or spiritual) to bless me.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 28-31.
HYMN 6: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.
1. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
o Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow—
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
