Blessing of the Businesses, 2005
Pastor Joe Fuiten, January
16, 2005
What is up with this “blessing”
business?
I suppose some people might think it
odd that we bless businesses, or that we would bless anything for that
matter. We do this because God has given
us direction to do it. Way back in Numbers
6:22-26 we have this direction.
“The LORD said
to Moses, 23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the
Israelites. Say to them: 24
"'"The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine
upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you
peace." '
Part
of what a priest does is bless people.
It is my job.
There have been times when Scripture
tells us that political leaders have blessed the people. You notice that leaders still do that usually
at the end of their speeches. I am going
to the Inaugural this week and expect to hear it from the lips of the President
as we have many times before. This has a
long tradition. For example, Solomon
blessed the people in 1 Kings 8:54-61
54 When Solomon had finished
all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar
of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward
heaven. 55 He stood and blessed the whole assembly of
My friend Kent Redfern found a couple of blessings for
businesses that he shared with me. He
noted that only out of the Jewish setting could he find a prayer blessing
businesses. Here it is: “In this business, may nothing go amiss.
Within this enterprises region may sustenance be legion. Upon this beautiful business place, let there
be no debt or disgrace. Regarding this commercial venture, may there be no
misadventure. In this working terrain,
may prosperity, success, and peace reign.”
Here is an Irish blessing. “May you always have work for your hands to
do. May your pockets hold always a coin
or two. May the sun shine bright on your
windowpane. May the rainbow be certain to
follow each rain. May the hand of a
friend always be near you. And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer
you.”
In
this service we are looking to the blessing of the Lord on our respective
enterprises. I personally believe
that it is good to seek God’s blessing.
That might mean making more money, or rising in your company, or finding
a better way to help people with a good price or a good product.
I believe that if our purposes serve his
purposes he will help us. I actually
think God blesses even those whose purposes are not his own, but there is
particular blessing on those who are within his will. When God’s blessing is on something, there is
a world of difference. Maybe he will
bless you with wisdom or discernment.
Think how much money you have lost by doing the wrong thing or trusting
the wrong person.
For
example, in Acts 13:17 Paul notes that in
God did the same thing for the Israelis in the midst of the
Babylonian Captivity. In Jeremiah 29:7 God said, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity
of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it
prospers, you too will prosper." He planned
to do it after they left
Our purposes need to be brought into conformity to his purposes. We have talked about these over the last couple of weeks so we won’t go into detail here.
Whenever we come to this Sunday, the Pastoral side of me comes out as well. I do believe in miracles and I do believe in the power of God to uniquely bless us. Otherwise, I would not do this kind of a service. However, I feel the need to issue a caution. Not every apparently good opportunity is necessarily a gift from heaven. Furthermore, not every salesman who tells you it’s a God thing, which is why you should invest in his scheme, is giving you a God thing. There is a classic story which I have told before but it fits so well it deserves repeating.
Some of
you may remember this true story. It was
I
wouldn’t want you to pray, leave this service, and believe that the next thing
that fell in your lap was necessarily from God.
You still have to pray and use your head. In every situation and circumstance, whether
good or bad, we ask God, “How can I be a part of your work today?” Out of that answer comes the direction for
your life.
While we are issuing cautions, let me add a
few more:
The blessing isn’t just yours. Some of
it belongs to the government in the form of taxes. Render to Caesar… I
would advise you to stay away from tax schemes that are mainly to avoid
taxes. Some of them might be legal, but
it is not worth finding out.
The blessing isn’t just yours. Some of it
belongs to others in the form of jobs you will create. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13. “I know that there is nothing
better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may
eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-- this is the gift of
God.” We are born to work. One reason God blesses us is to bless others
with the creation of jobs.
The blessing isn’t just yours. Some of it belongs to the poor. That is the message of Jesus in almsgiving.
The blessing isn’t just yours. Some of it belongs to God. The tithe belongs to God. It is that part of the fruit of the Garden
that we do not eat because it belongs to God as a symbol of his actual
ownership of everything. If God owns it
all and allows us to have use of it by just giving the tithe, that is actually
a very small thing indeed.
The blessing isn’t just yours. But most of it is yours, at least while you
are on this earth. I say at least while you are on this earth because no matter how much
they have, I have yet to see a hearse pulling a U-haul.
(Have each person hand a few of
their business cards to people around them so they can pray.) “Lift up the cards before the Lord and pray
along with me.”
Almighty God, we seek your gracious favor upon our businesses, employment, and resources. As stewards, we know you are the giver and sustainer of all life, including our work and entrepreneurial pursuits. May our corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, home based businesses, and daily employment, bring honor and glory to you.
We
lift up the businesses of this church and community and pray for your blessing
upon them. May each one of them do well this year, not only for themselves, but
also for the greater good.
We
pray that each person who is looking for work will find it; that each worker
will rise in their employment; and each business represented here will
flourish.
We
pray for business leaders to make good decisions, hearing only the accurate
advice. Close their ears to people that might lead them down the wrong path.
Open their hearts to the wisdom of God in the many competing decisions that
must be made.
We pray for business leaders to live by the golden rule. Give them good ideas that will bless and help others, the kind of ideas that will also earn for them and their employees a good living. Use the resources that they generate to bless your work, both here and in missions.
For those businesses that are
struggling, we pray for wisdom and understanding to turn them around. Help them
to see what is happening and to make the necessary changes. Give them clear
focus.
Bless
this country with good leaders who will not hinder, but help things to go well.
Bless each enterprise; whether academic, social, governmental, sales, services
or manufacturing, that in each pursuit your blessing will flow and you will be
glorified.
We receive your Biblical blessing upon our labors:
You have blessed us with the ability to be known primarily as producers. (Deut. 8:18)
You have blessed us with confirmation of your covenant with Abraham. (Deut. 8:18) You have blessed us with plans that lead to profit. (Proverbs 21:5)
You have blessed us with the ability to work with our hands. (I Thessalonians 4:11, 12)
You have blessed us with contentment. (Psalm 62:10)
You have blessed us with enthusiasm in our work. (Colossians 3:23)
You have blessed us with the ability to do all our living in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father. (Colossians 3:17)[1]
In Jesus Name we ask these blessings and give you praise. Amen.