The other day I sneezed in front of a friend of mine. “Bless you,” he responded. This response took me by surprise. See, the friend I was with is not a religious person. He doesn’t go to church, believe in God, or cultivate any sense of spirituality.
The life of faith is completely foreign to him. Thus, the refrain “Bless you” seemed out of place. What did he really mean by this?
Today, “bless” can mean a variety of different things. We sometimes equate it with financial riches or glamor. Those who are blessed live lives of uncomplicated ease; “I’m just so blessed!” they say as they glory in their luxury.
Conversely, if you live in the deep south, the word “bless” can be twisted into an insult; “Well,Bless your heart,” someone might say.
Thus, the word “bless” becomes a derogatory word, signifying rejection rather than inclusion. Or, like my friend above, a statement of blessing can be merely something polite we say after a sneeze. It is a phrase without meaning or content.
The deeper question to ask is, what does God mean when He issues a blessing? Throughout the Bible, God bestows blessing upon God’s chosen people. One of the prime examples of this occurs in Genesis 12.
Abram is asked to leave all that he knows, family, livelihood, land, and the territorial gods of Haran, under the promise of Yahweh’s blessing.
What was that blessing? Well, The Lord’s blessing upon Abram certainly was not just something polite Yahweh said to make Abram feel good. Nor was the Lord merely informing Abram that he would be showered with future riches.
God’s blessing upon Abram is much more expansive than that. In this important passage, we see that blessing involves something that Abram receives, something he becomes, and something he bestows.
Blessing 1: Something We Receive
God begins the call to Abram by saying, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2). It is easy to combine these two statements and think that God’s blessing is the greatness of his legacy.
We believe that God’s blessing upon Abram would be evidenced by the increase in family, wealth, and land. In thinking this, we conflate blessing with greatness, wealth, and ease. Being blessed, we assume, is about receiving all that we want.
Abram wants a lineage, and so his blessing is children; Abram wants riches, so his blessing is an increase of wealth; Abram wants prestige, so his blessing is the increase of land. The popularity of the prosperity gospel today shows how prevalent this reading can be.
The only problem with this reading is that this is not what we see in Abram’s life. For Abram, the growth of family and wealth was not the blessing God was speaking of. While Abram’s family does increase exponentially, this occurs long after Abram dies.
In fact, the remaining years of Abram’s life are often spent in confusion, unknowingness, and struggle. This is why God says, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you.” Scripture clearly indicates that the two elements are separate, independent clauses.
Theologically, “blessing” is the pronouncement of God’s favorable presence. At times, God’s favor may include provision and gifting, but not all the time. Biblically speaking, blessing is never simply about what we receive; it is about who we receive.
The blessing of God is nothing less than God’s presence, journeying with us. God’s presence for Abram was not simply a voice spoken from the sky. Abram didn’t just receive a download of divine information.
Scripture says that “the Lord appeared to him” (Genesis 12:7) on his journey. Similarly, a few chapters later, Abram is visited by the Lord in the form of “three visitors” (Genesis 18:2).
Abram’s blessing was not the growth of family and lineage. The blessing Abram receives is the loving presence of God.
Blessing 2: Someone We Become
The favorable presence of God is a blessing beyond what we can ever ask or imagine. Yet God is not present in our lives merely for our entertainment. God’s blessing is not a possession we wield for our own benefit or enjoyment.
God makes clear to Abram and to us that the blessings of God are to be lived out and embodied. As God blesses us, so, too, we become a blessing to the world around us. Thus, the Lord says to Abram, “I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:3).
God’s blessing upon Abram was to transform him into a blessing. Abram was called to live out the salvific plan of God and to positively impact the world around him.
As Christian people, our lives are to be the places from which God’s love and grace shines. Jesus calls us to “let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
God calls us to give ourselves to others sacrificially. This is the way of Jesus. Instead of glorying in our blessings, we live them out to the praise of God and the livelihood of those around us.
How do we embody blessings today? How do we live in a way that positively impacts the world around us and the lives of those we meet?
Have we allowed the presence of God to change us? These are questions we ought to ask ourselves if we wish to live as a blessing in the world.
Blessing 3: Something We Bestow
Finally, God’s blessing is something we bestow upon others. In this way, a blessing is the vocal pronouncement of God’s favorable presence in people’s lives.&
We speak blessings upon others. God says, “I will bless those who you bless, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). God’s blessings are to be turned outwards.
Did you notice that God never asks Abram to curse others? While the text above does speak about God’s curse upon those who reject the way of God, cursing is left to God alone.
Sadly, some people, even in the church, desire to curse as God would curse. They love to declare God’s judgment upon all they find disapproving. Yet, too often, our desire to curse others is based on pride, arrogance, or selfishness and not on a deep conviction of God’s heart.
Abram wasn’t asked to curse others; his call was to boldly pronounce God’s blessing, trusting that God’s favorable activity would follow.
God’s vision for Abram, and the generations that followed him, was to be a light to the nations, a people who pronounced the presence of God to all people.
God calls Abram to pronounce God’s blessing so that “all the people of the earth will be blessed through you.” This is God’s desire for the world.
God longs for all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Our task, therefore, is to speak blessing. As Christians, we are called to be a force of love, grace, forgiveness, and healing in the world.
We are to make known the availability of God’s blessing upon people’s lives. God is rich in love, steadfast in mercy, and relentlessly forgiving.
This is a truth that is transformative in people’s lives. Living out this message, and daring to proclaim it to others, is what it means to live a life of blessing.
For further reading:
How Should Christians Respond to Unexpected Blessings?
How Can I Count My Blessings While Also Blessing Others?
What Does it Mean ‘May the Lord Bless You and Keep You'?
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