THE BLESSING OF FAMILY
God wants the best for us and wants to bless us in every area of our lives. One of the ways He does this is by surrounding us with people who love and care for us. We’ve been created to be in relationship with one another, and loving families are one of the ways God tells us how He feels about us. These relationships can greatly strengthen and encourage us when we put Him in the center of our family circle.
From God’s perspective, a family isn’t just a group of people haphazardly thrown together. He has a specific reason for choosing certain individuals as family members. This doesn’t mean that all family members will be perfect; we’re all human and we each have our own flaws. However, His presence makes a family more than just the sum of each individual person. “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20, NLT).
God expresses His love through the family unit. He can bless the parents through the children, and the children through the parents. He can, and will, do amazing things if we just let Him do His work. “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
The world doesn’t know God, and therefore has no idea what healthy family relationships look like. Families formed according to worldly standards can get caught up in strife and torn apart by negativity and bad influences. By contrast, the godly family has its origins in heaven. “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14, 15). Families who put Jesus first position themselves to receive abundant blessings; they stand out like a bright light in a dark room.
Being part of the family of God sets us apart from the world. It gives us access to His supernatural love, which is the most powerful force in the universe. As His children, we must be prepared to live in a spiritually dark environment that doesn’t recognize us. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1, NKJV). In spite of that, we still have the ability—and the responsibility—to share that love with others.
One of the characteristics of membership in God’s family is that everyone is united in love. We don’t have to be perfect, just willing to let God work through us to reach others. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!... It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Psalm 133:1, 3, NIV). This is something we desperately need in a divided world.
To bless is to empower to succeed. In the Old Testament, Joseph succeeded and prospered greatly because God blessed him. Joseph flourished because God was with him; it’s the same way with families today. “Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3, TPT). We succeed and prosper, both on an individual level and as a family, when we welcome God’s presence.
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