How long has it been since you hugged and blessed your kids? Or how about other loved ones and friends? Do you realize the power of touch is so important because it delivers a blessing of love and approval that can be life-changing?
Throughout the Bible, we see people not only speak a blessing to others but physically transfer it by touch. In Matthew 19, parents brought their children to Jesus to have Him place His hands on them, pray for them, and bless them. “Let the children come to Me,” He said. Parents, such as the patriarch Isaac in Genesis 27, blessed their children, often through the act of physically placing their hands on them. Isaac said to his son, Jacob, “Come close to me,” and he hugged and kissed Jacob before he transferred the family blessing. At the time, Jacob was a fully grown man, so it’s never too late to transfer a blessing to your child. You may think your children already know you love them, but what would happen if you give them a hug and say, “I bless you”? There’s a transferable spiritual blessing in that hug.
Do you know what that touch means? It’s a personal acceptance. If you reach out and touch someone, it’s saying there’s no barrier between you and that person. Never underestimate the power when you lovingly touch and embrace your children. From the time our children were very little, Joel and I would hold their little hands, put our hands on their head, and pray for them. They experienced this transfer of blessings so many times as children and even experience it now as adults. As parents, we need to understand that we have spiritual authority from God to impart blessings in their lives.
The prodigal son in Luke 15 had taken his father’s inheritance, wasted it all while partying, and ended up feeding pigs. He decided it was better to return home and offer himself as a hired servant to his father. He didn’t know that when his father saw him coming from afar, he would run to him and throw his arms around him and kiss him. That embrace and kiss and blessing from his father disarmed the shame and insecurities that young man had. His father was saying, “I forgive you, and there is no distance between us. You’re my son, and I bless you!” I bet that young man was never the same. He had his father’s blessing. He was loved well.
Use your power of touch and words of blessing. You may touch them for eternity.