How To Bless Our Children

As we approach another Father’s Day, I am reminded again how Dad’s play an important role in determining the destiny of their children for good or ill. I had the rare and incredible privilege of living under the care of a man of God, Joe McCarson. I can recall on several occasions seeing my Dad in the early morning light with his Bible open, knelt in prayer. On our birthdays, Dad was always present, and he made a point to pray over us as children. Dad would thank God for our lives and pray for our physical and spiritual growth. It was a normal thing to find handwritten notes from my Dad in our lunchbox with words of affirmation and encouragement. When I was ordained to preach, my Dad laid hands on me and blessed my future ministry.

In short, my whole life was covered by my Dad’s prayers. I never grew up wondering who I was or whether I had value, because my father continually reinforced that with his blessing. I learned a lot about by Heavenly Father by seeing the heart of my earthly father.

Whether Dad knew or not, he was practicing a Biblical pattern seen throughout the Old Testament. Fathers of faith always took time to bless their children and interceded on their behalf before the Lord. Job “would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings” for his ten children (Job. 1:5). Abraham gave all that he had to his son Isaac (Gen. 25:5). Isaac spoke a blessing to his son Jacob (Gen. 27:27-29). Jacob gave a blessing to each of his twelve sons and to two of his grandchildren (Gen. 48-49). Finally, the Heavenly Father, said of His Son, Jesus, on two occasions, “Behold this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).

If you study these tender encounters you notice a few key elements. First, there is meaningful touch, usually a laying on of hands which indicated the transfer of blessing. Dads your hugs and kisses are needed just as much as moms. I have talked to several men who never had a meaningful touch from their father unless it was a spanking or abuse. What a shame! Wrap your kids up in a bear hug and let them know that they are safe and loved.  

Second, there is a message taught. In the Bible, fathers blessed their children by saying something positive about their character. Children are starving for attention, identity and self-worth. Dads are in a unique position to speak that truth into their impressionable hearts. Kids who don’t hear these messages from their father will fill in the blanks with what the world says about them or go looking for someone else to affirm them. Generally, boys will do this through achievement such as sports, and girls will search for this from another man. Dads can give their children incredible confidence by encouraging them with positive words of encouragement.

Third, the father mused about tomorrow. What I mean is that often Biblical fathers spoke prophetically of their children’s future. For example, Jacob blessed his son Judah saying, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet” (Gen. 49:10). With these words Jacob predicted that the royal line would rise from Judah, which would go on to include descendants like David and Christ. As dads we may not be able to predict our kids’ future, but what we can do is call out their God-given potential. Our child may be a natural born leader, a gifted musician, athletic or have a knack for numbers. It’s our privilege to see these qualities in our children, develop them and bless our children to use those abilities for God’s glory. -DM