Real Blessings

Real Blessings

May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.

Genesis 27:28–29

Wishing you good things or nice, obedient children could hardly be considered giving you a blessing because of the uncertainty of the outcome. But the blessing Isaac gave Jacob was neither empty words nor good wishes from one person to another. Isaac’s blessing was definite and would certainly come to pass. It wasn’t just a wish. Isaac actually gave Jacob something, telling him in effect, “Take the gifts that I am promising with my word.”

Saying, “I wish you a strong and healthy body and mind,”doesn’t mean much. But if I were to hand you a thousand dollars and say, “I would like you to have this money,” now that would be different. Similarly, Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home” (Matthew 9:6). If he were merely wishing the best, he would have said, “Poor man, I wish you were healthy and strong.” But that wouldn’t have cured or strengthened the sick man. Those good wishes would have accomplished little.

The Bible isn’t filled with good wishes. It contains real blessings that actually come to pass. We have these kinds of blessings in the New Testament through Christ. We receive a blessing when the pastor says, “Receive forgiveness for your sins.” If he were to say, “I wish that God would show you favor and mercy, give you eternal life, and forgive your sins,” it would be merely an expression of love. Instead, he says, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” These words have the power to actually forgive you, if you believe.