How to Write a Biblical Blessing for Your Grandchild

When time comes for the Summer Olympics, my husband enjoys watching track and field.

Relays always promise some drama. Why? The handoff.

The trickiest part of a relay.

Races have been won and lost in this short twenty-meter zone.

But the stakes are higher than shiny medals when we’re talking about our faith.

No matter how your handoff went with your own kids, you have another opportunity with the

grandchildren.

If you’re like me, helping your grandkids navigate their faith ranks high on the priority list. One

way to put solid ground under their feet is to bless them.

Who can we bless? Anyone, really, but grandchildren, for sure. If your kids are open, bless them

too. Jacob was well into adulthood when Isaac blessed him (Genesis 27:27-29).

What is a blessing? The biblical blessing is seen throughout Scripture. Jacob blessed all twelve

of his sons (Genesis 49:1-28). God blessed Jesus after His baptism (Matthew 3:16-17). 

When I was growing up, we blessed the food, but not much else. My husband and I decided to change

that when we had children. Trent and Smalley taught us how. 

The Blessing, by Gary Smalley and John Trent, outlines five elements seen in biblical blessing:

● Meaningful touch.

● Spoken words.

● Attaching high value.

● Picturing a special future.

● An active commitment.

When and where do we give the blessing? Anytime and anywhere. However, blessings can give

added significance to special occasions, milestones, birthdays, and holidays.

Why give a blessing? Scripture offers the blessing as a way to encourage future generations in their faith

by giving them visual, tangible support from those who have gone before them. It helps to anchor them

in their relationship with God and with their family.

How do we do it? Let’s walk through the five elements. Don’t try to wing this. Personalize the blessing

for each grandchild and write it out ahead of time. Don’t worry, I have a template for you.

1. Meaningful touch:

Mark 10:16 says, “And he [Jesus] took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and

blessed them.”

Small children can sit in your lap for a blessing. For older children, you can place your hands on

their head or shoulders. Be sure you make eye contact.

2. Spoken words: Offer words of love, acceptance, and affirmation. Remind them that they are

part of a family. Assure them of their identity as a child of God.

Incorporate Bible verses like these:

Ephesians 1:4 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and

blameless in his sight.”

Psalm 139:16 reads, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were

written in your book before one of them came to be.”

3. Attaching high value: What gives that child value to you? I challenge you to steer clear of

talents and giftings. We don’t want kids thinking that their value comes from what they do or

don’t do. 

Their intrinsic worth comes from God. 

As His image-bearer, their worth has been established. Forever.

Consider verses like these:

Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he

created them; male and female he created them.”

1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called

children of God! And that is what we are!”

4. Picturing a special future: Verses abound here!

Philippians 1:6 says, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry

it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:10 reads, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good

works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to

prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Insert their names into these verses or tie your grandchild’s character to that of a biblical figure.

Ex. May Nicholas become a man after God’s own heart just like King David. May Elyse be like

Queen Esther and serve her generation for such a time as this.

5. An active commitment: This is our part. Here, we commit to showing up any and every way

we can to help them grow spiritually.

● Phone calls, FaceTime

● Texts, email

● Letters, notes, postcards

● Visits

● Care packages, even gifts like magazine subscriptions like Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse, Clubhouse, Jr., and Brio magazines, depending on their ages.

Here’s a blessing God used in Numbers 6:22-26. Feel free to use it.

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.

Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be

gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

I wrote these blessings for two of my grandchildren when they started a new school year:

Dear (4 yr. old),

I love your happy attitude. I love your laughter and I love your questions. You ask great

questions.

You are a treasure. You are a special part of our family and I’m so glad God made you.

You are going to have a great year at your new school. Ask God to show you the right friends to

play with.

I will pray for you. That you learn and grow every day. That you get to know Jesus and learn

to hear His voice.

I love you, ______.

Love,

GG

Dear (8 yr. old.),

I love your sweet attitude, your kindness to_____and _____(siblings), and what a helper you are.

You are precious. A prize treasured by God and by me. I’m so glad you are part of our family.

God did something special when He made you.

Second grade is going to be awesome—even if you get the strict teacher (a concern). God has a plan for you.

Talk to Him about who will be the best friends for you this school year.

I will be praying for you. Start every day with God. Talk to Him during the day too. I will do the

same. He will teach you to know His voice.

I love you, __________.

Love,

GG

Now, it’s your turn. Create a blessing for each grandchild.

Let’s ask the Father for help now.

Father God, You commanded Aaron as priest to bless Your people. 

As the matriarchs and patriarchs of our families, blessings begin with us. 

Your Word says that we are a royal priesthood and, so, like Aaron, we choose to bless. 

Guide us as we craft blessings for each grandchild. 

Give us specifics You want included in each blessing. 

And thank You for blessing each of us with our precious families. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

The baton is in your hand. Nail your handoff.

Resources:

The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent

Blessing Template 

Next week: 3 Reasons to Celebrate Your Grandchild’s Salvation