John Hagee. The Power of the Prophetic Blessing. Worthy, 2012.

The Power of the Prophetic Blessing reminds us of some biblical principles that we often overlook or forget. All have to do with the concept of blessing, i.e., speaking authoritative, God-directed words over others.

About the first half of the book is a review of blessings in the Scripture, especially the Old Testament. We read about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We read of the blessings of Melchizedek on Abram and Jacob on his sons.

Hagee details some of the ways that Jacob’s blessings came to pass. He notes in several different ways that historically Jews have kept up the concept of blessing, especially blessing their children, more than gentile Christians. Hagee makes a claim that the success of Jewish people in spite of persecution (think of Nobel prizes, for example) is not only because of God’s blessing, but through their practices, that they bless one another. He quotes a rabbi who notes that not a week in his life has gone by where either a parent or grandparent blessed him or he blessed his children or grandchildren on the Sabbath.

Hagee also notes the first eight of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:2-10 and explains them in some detail. As with Jacob’s blessings, he gives some personal and historical examples of how these have been fulfilled.

About the last third of The Power of Prophetic Blessing tells us how to do it. Again, using Bible teaching and some word analysis, he notes that a true blessing is spoken from someone with biblical authority: a father over his family, a parent over his or her children, a priest over his people, and so on.

When I began reading a subchapter titled “Six Requirements for Releasing and Receiving the Prophetic Blessing,” the Holy Spirit moved. This was something I was to pay attention to. This was affirming what God says in His Word. Here are the six, more as reminders. Read the book for the explanations:

1. The prophetic blessing is to be imparted by a person in spiritual authority.
2. The prophetic blessing shall be given while standing.
3. When the delegated spiritual authority is speaking the prophetic blessing over someone, he or she does so with lifted hands. (He does also talk about laying on of hands, so there is, one supposes, a corollary.)
4. The prophetic blessing must be done in the name of the Lord.
5. The prophetic blessing is to be bestowed face to face.
6. The prophetic blessing is to be given with a voice of authority so that all can hear.

While in this portion he speaks of lifting up the hands, he also speaks of the laying on of hands. We know from Genesis 48:15-20 that Jacob laid his hands on his grandsons to bless them.

Hagee goes into some detail describing health benefits of human touch. He notes that there the University of Miami has a research branch called the Touch Research Institute. They have statistics about how touch helps in healing. The statistics in neonatal care survival are especially impressive. One sad note is that the Institute has a nursery school, but teachers are limited on how much actual touch they can use because of fears of lawsuits and accusations these day. So many things God means for good, people find a way to twist them.

The last chapter has some prayers or proclamations that readers may use to bless others, or perhaps simply to pray. Yes, people often limit God; “Where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). But also we just do not do it. Let us take action and bless those we can. And then, perhaps God will bless us…