Galatians 3: 13-14
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) so that theblessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about blessings and the dynamics our relationship with God. It has the similar elements of our human relationships: we talk to Him, think about Him, trust Him and want to know that He knows us; knows our hearts and believes in us. We want to believe that we can turn to Him in the hope that He will provide for areas of need in our lives.
If we knew with certainty that every need we ever had in life would be met, there would be no need for fear. We would walk with confidence with God and with people, sit with a calm assurance and have peace of mind at all times.
Ephesians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
There may be Christians like me who understand that by calling Jesus Christ, Saviour, we are saying that He has saved us from our sins and therefore we have right-standing before God in this life and the next. But it has taken me a bit longer to realise that Jesus dying on the cross was not ‘just’ for me to be able to be reconciled with the Heavenly Father, but also so that He can ‘Barak’ (Bless) me!
I love these Hebrew words used in the Bible: Barak (Bless) and Barakah (Blessing). The letters in these words represent a picture of The Son (Jesus) extending his hand forward with an open palm to place it on our foreheads, blessing us with His Grace.1
It is only BECAUSE of the work of Jesus on the cross that I can be blessed. What a relief that is! In order to be blessed with all that I need, I never have to fear a lack of blessing by my obedience to God’s laws! Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the law for us! (Matthew 5:17)
A fearless sense of certainty that ALL blessings are ours through Jesus having redeemed us from the curse of the law is where relationship with God takes place. Needs arise everyday, big ones, small ones; each one is an opportunity for God to bless us and for us to communicate with Him.
Reference:
1. Secrets in The Hebrew Letters, Joseph Prince, 2009.