Are you blessed? Of course you are. My question here is more specific - Were you blessed by your dad? I talk often about blessing children, but to bless a child, a dad must be blessed. As I say in the Dads Armor study and our retreats, a man must first be a son before he can be a father.
An informal survey conducted over the last twenty-plus years of ministry suggests about 3% of men have been blessed by their father. If a man has not been blessed as a son, he is not naturally inclined to see the value in blessing his children. So, if you fall in that 97 percentile, what are you supposed to do? I am glad you asked!
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, Whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” – Matthew 17: 4-5. Earlier, upon Jesus’ baptism, the Father blessed His Son to undergird His journey in the wilderness (Matt.4:1-11) and His subsequent ministry. In this Matthew 17 passage, He blesses His Son again, ostensibly to undergird the latter days of ministry and His journey to the cross. If we are brothers with Jesus the Christ, can we claim this blessing from the Heavenly Father? I believe the answer is in Romans. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves again to fear; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. – Romans 8: 14-17. As adoptees into sonship, we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. We are children of God! As children, and specifically as sons, we can claim the blessing of our Father over His Son. We can know to Whom we belong, that He loves us and is pleased as we walk in stride with Him, and that what we say has value. Embracing the Father’s blessing grounds a man in who he is and Whose he is, and that he has what it takes to be in this world without being of it.
Tips for reminding yourself to Be Blessed:
- I belong to my Heavenly Father;
- My Father loves me; and, with me He is well pleased;
- There is value in what I have to say. Thank You, Abba, Father;
- When someone asks how you are doing, make a change from the, “I’m good,” to “I am blessed,” and see where the discussion goes.
Prayer guide: Father, thank You for being my Heavenly Father. I confess that I have struggled to prove myself a man as I turned from the example set by my earthly father. I was not blessed as my father’s son and turned to the world instead of to You. Forgive me. Thank You for blessing Your Son and by extension, blessing me. Help me embrace and live into the daily realization that I belong to You and You love me. You are pleased with me and there is value in what You are doing through me! Thank You, Abba, Father. By Your grace, I can live in this world without being of it. That is the dad You call me to be and that’s the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father is blessed by his Heavenly Father.
