& the blessing

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY, 16TH JUNE, 2024

TOPIC: THE FATHER’S BLESSING

MEMORY VERSE

My parents had many good things happen to them. And I, your father, was blessed even more.

Your brothers left you with nothing. But now I pile all my blessings on you, as high as a mountain. Genesis 49:26

BIBLE TEXT

Genesis 27:27-40

[27]So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes, he blessed him and said, “My son smells like the fields the Lord has blessed.

[28]May God give you plenty of rain, good crops, and wine.

[29]May the nations serve you and many people bow down to you. You will rule over your brothers.

Your mother’s sons will bow down to you and obey you. Whoever curses you will be cursed.

Whoever blesses you will be blessed.”

[30]Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting.

[31]Esau prepared the food in the special way his father loved. He brought it to his father and said, “Father, I am your son. Get up and eat the meat from the animals that I killed for you. Then you can bless me.”

[32]But Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son—your first son—Esau.”

[33]Then Isaac became so upset that he began to shake. He said, “Then who was it that cooked and brought me food before you came? I ate it all, and I blessed him. Now it is too late to take back my blessing.”

[34]When Esau heard his father’s words, he became very angry and bitter. He cried out and said to his father, “Then bless me also, father!”

[35]Isaac said, “Your brother tricked me! He came and took your blessing!”

[36]Esau said, “His name is Jacob. That is the right name for him. He has tricked me twice. He took away my rights as the firstborn son. And now he has taken away my blessing.” Then Esau said, “Have you saved any blessing for me?”

[37]Isaac answered, “I have already given Jacob the power to rule over you. And I said all his brothers would be his servants. I have given him the blessing for much grain and wine. There is nothing left to give you, my son.”

[38]But Esau continued to beg his father. “Do you have only one blessing, father? Bless me also, father!” Esau began to cry.

[39]Then Isaac said to him, “You will not live on good land. You will not have much rain.

[40]You will have to fight to live, and you will be a slave to your brother. But when you fight to be free,

you will break away from his control.”

MESSAGE

A father has tremendous power over the lives and destinies of his children. Any wise child will always seek his or her father’s (biological or spiritual) blessings. This is why you must always think of ways to provoke your father to bless you. Unfortunately, these days, most people are after getting material things from their fathers and hardly think of what they can do to make their fathers bless them.

One day, I had just returned from a journey, and two of my spiritual children came to welcome me. The one who got to me first merely greeted me, the other followed suit when he joined us and then proceeded to collect my bags. Immediately he did that, I said to him, “God bless you.” The first son said, “Daddy, you did not say ‘God bless you’ to me.” I responded, “What did you do for me? You saw me carrying these bags, but you didn’t help me.” If you want your father to bless you, you must be ready to do something that will provoke him to do so.

One very important thing about a father’s blessing is that it is irreversible. Even though Isaac realised that he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau, he could not reverse it (Genesis 27:33). This is why you must seek your father’s blessing in every way you can. Once your father blesses you, you are blessed forever. Nevertheless, blessings are different. Some blessings come from the soul, some from the heart and some from the mouth. When Isaac wanted to bless Esau, he told him to prepare his favourite meal so that after he had eaten it, he could bless him from deep within his soul (Genesis 27 : 4).

A father can bless three of his children, but one will still be greater than the rest because the father loves that one in a special way. How well does your father love you? Do you often provoke him to pray for you or are you the type that provokes him to anger regularly? Some people hardly send money to their old parents, some hardly call them, while some others don’t even visit them. They may be old and frail now, but their blessings and curses remain very powerful. Whatever you do, ensure that you get as many blessings as possible from your father before he dies.

ACTION POINT

Do something for your father today that will provoke him to bless you. If you are a father, call your children and bless them from your soul.

BIBLE IN A YEAR

Psalms 69-72

HYMN 6 I AM SO GLAD THAT OUR FATHER IN HEAV’N

1 I am so glad that our Father in Heaven

Tells of His love in the Book He has given;

Wonderful things in the Bible I see,

This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

Refrain

I am so glad that Jesus loves me,

Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me