The Water Blessing
A few years ago I wrote a blog called “The Blessing Flow.” It is a simple daily practice of thanking God -- the One from Whom all blessings flow -- for things I otherwise would not take time to notice or acknowledge in the routine of everyday life. Things like running water and electricity. The car I drive and the postal service that delivers our mail. My feet that can walk, my mind that can think. It has truly changed my life and my experience of gratitude.
In recent months, I have felt the Holy Spirit’s prompting to look into the layers and pray a little deeper. Hmmmm...what does that mean, I wonder?
In answer to this question, I heard Him say Wander into the wonder to experience more wonderful.
Ok Lord, take me into what that heavenly riddle means...
I usually end my day with a long soak in the bath tub. I just LOVE a good soaker tub! One of the blessing prayers I’m very intentional about is, as I am stepping into the water, speaking this prayer:
“Lord, I thank You for this clean hot water. Please bless it to the nourishment of my body. Let Your rivers of living water flow from within me, as John 7:38 says in Your Word.”
As I began to wonder how I could “look into the layers” of the water blessing I’ve been praying, I suddenly saw it: The wonder of the human body. The wonder of ways-and-where the water flows. YES! There’s SO MUCH MORE to BLESS!
“Father God, I have read that our bodies are made up of 70% water. I ask that you BLESS THE WATER INSIDE OF MY BODY. Bless all of the water that comes out of the pipes in our home, thank You for the plumbing that carries it. Bless every glass of water that I drink and let it heal, hydrate, and detoxify my body. Bless the water in our ice machine, in our swimming pool, in our hot tub. Bless the rainwater that falls on our property.”
Why is speaking a blessing important? Simply put, the Bible tells us there is death and life in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). It also tells us in “you have not because you ask not” in James 4:2. This Scripture has a deeper message about motives but also serves as a simple reminder to ASK.
You might be saying to yourself as you read this, “That seems like a lot of time and effort. Do I really have to be so specific and detailed in my prayers for God to bless me?”
I don’t believe God withholds blessing when we don’t perform a certain way. Prayer is not a rigid exercise. It is a dialogue, a conversation, an expression of sharing in relationship with the One who created our inmost being (Psalm 139:13). But what I do know from experience is what I EXPERIENCE in the habit of both asking for, and speaking, blessing: DEEPER AND RICHER RELATIONSHIP AND BLESSING! It is quite the opposite of feeling like a chore – it’s an adventure. Look here...now there...oh! I see another one! Blessing after blessing after blessing! WOW God, you are SO GOOD to me!
Moreover, there are important lessons in Scripture that teach us how BLESSING something brings multiplication. When Jesus spoke a blessing over five loaves of bread and two fish, He literally brought the power of heaven into the food to feed a hungry crowd of thousands:
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.” – Mark 6:41-44
Friend, may I ask you to help multiply a prayer blessing with me?
As I recently began praying the (deeper) water blessing prayer, Holy Spirit whispered another idea: Pray for the water in the discs of the back and neck.
My husband was recently diagnosed with a serious problem in the the discs of his spine. Since having a fusion surgery in his neck due to football injury, several of the discs in his back have taken on more stress causing the fluid between the discs to dissipate. His pain levels are excruciating at times, and I know what this feels like due to my own experience in the past with a bulging disc diagnosis in my lower back. My back was healed over 20 years ago (Praise the Lord!!), but as I get older I occasionally notice some discomfort after doing activity that involves bending and twisting.
I have now started adding this to my water blessing prayer… and I would love for you to join in praying it with me:
“God, I thank You for blessing the water and other fluid in the discs of my neck and spine. I thank You for blessing the water and other fluid in the discs of [my husband] Craig’s neck and spine. I believe You can even REPLACE THE METAL PLATE in Craig’s neck with a brand new healthy disc, and give him new discs all down his spine! Thank You that we are fearfully and wonderfully made to be healed and whole and pain free, In Jesus’ name!”
I know this is an audacious prayer. If God can multiply loaves and fishes, He can also multiply nourishment of neck and back discs. What’s more, there is multiplication as we pray blessings for each other. If you are joining me in this bold blessing prayer for myself and my husband, THANK YOU. I will be praying for you as well — we ALL need blessed water and healthy discs in our bodies!
p.s. The more I am engaging in blessing prayers, God gives me new levels of understanding of what “praying without ceasing” means. It is vital for vitality! As vital as BREATHING...the subject of another Faith Forward blog coming soon.
reSOURCEs:
Dig a little deeper into the power of the spoken blessing
39 Bible verses about blessing food before meals