Blessed Beyond Measure

Shabbat Shmooze: The Hebrew word for blessing, Baruch, is one of the most powerful little words we can have in our vocabulary.

The root word of Baruch means to “bend or fall upon the knees” in prayer.

Most of the Hebrew liturgy prayers begin with this word and rightly so. When we pray, it only makes sense to start with blessing God and recognizing that he alone deserves our worship.

The traditional Hebrew blessing over our children said every Shabbat (Sabbath)… not only invokes the character traits of the matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah for girls, and Jacob’s grandson’s Ephraim and Manasseh for boys, but it is also calls to mind how God has shown his goodness toward his people throughout the history of Israel, which gives us faith to believe he will continue to do so down through the generations.

When we pronounce a blessing on someone else, we are essentially bending the knee and recognizing God’s purposes in their lives. We are affirming them and pronouncing favor and good things over their life.

It is more than just saying a few “nice” words. It is partnering with God to speak life into their identity and soul. When you bless someone, you can see their eyes light up and their countenance change, and it brings the one who is doing the blessing joy too. Many times, it can be words of blessing that bring healing where there has been hurt, and hope where there has been despair.

So, this weekend, try it! Bless the person in the drive through line who hands you your food with kind words, or the barista at the coffee shop, or maybe someone that’s been driving you crazy lately. Bless and watch the joy of the Lord increase!