“May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalms 115:14-15 NIV

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV

Have you ever had someone say “Bless you” to you after you sneezed? Me, too. My grandmother always said, “God bless you!” to me when I sneezed. But this isn’t about sneezing, it’s about asking favor from God for someone.

Blessing is God’s favor or God’s kindness, approval and attention toward someone. So when you sneeze and someone says, “Bless you”, they are really asking for God to favor you and keep you well.

Our verses above are blessings found in the Bible. The first one is from the Old Testament, from Psalms. It is believed to be a song that was sung at the festival of Passover. They are asking the Lord to bless his people and their children, so that they may grow strong and live wonderful lives.

The second verse was written by Paul to the church in Rome. He is asking God to fill the Christians in the church with hope, joy and peace. He also asks for the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wants God’s people to be happy and well and filled with the Spirit.

Today I want to ask God to favor and bless each of you as we begin this new year.

Bless You!

God bless you and your families with all good things.

God bless you with gifts to give your dream wings!

God bless you with love, laughter and true friends.

God bless you with forgiveness and making amends.

God bless you with comfort from His Holy Word.

God bless you with protection from our Shepherd.

God bless you with a future and joy doubled.

God bless you with His presence when you’re troubled.

May God favor you and all that you do as you follow and trust in Him.

This week think of someone you would like for God to bless; maybe your mom or dad, your grandparents, a friend, or someone else that needs God’s favor. Write out a blessing just for them and give it to them so that they, too, can be blessed.

 Blessings and God’s favor always!