Why Pray Blessing Prayers

What do blessing prayers really do? Do they work? Who knows for sure?

There are hundreds of questions that arise when we begin talking about spiritual matters, especially the power of prayer. After all, spiritual power that comes from God’s blessing is often invisible. It’s like the wind – you may feel it on your skin, hear it rustle in the trees or watch leaves blow across the street. But the wind itself, the power driving the changes, is invisible and hidden.

Blessing prayers are like that. In the Christian religions, the belief in God’s blessing is rooted in the Bible – both the New Testament and the Old Testament. The stories of God’s promises to bless Abraham are found in the Book of Genesis. The blessing words from God toward Abram (Abraham) are powerful indeed and included a covenant – a solemn oath that the blessing would be fulfilled.

For example, Chapter 15 of the Book of Genesis, Abram hears the word of God in a vision, “Fear not Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.” At the time, Abram had no children and challenged God what good would it be to have marvelous gifts, since there were no children to enjoy those gifts. God took Abram outside and told Abram to look at the stars in the heaven, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, shall your descendents be.”

Abram is the father of the Jewish people, thousands of years later, have yielded that blessings with millions of descendents. So, when you think of consider whether to offer blessing prayers for others, think of generations of good that come when you say, “God bless you!”