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GOD HAS A BLESSING FOR YOU
by Richard D Kirkham, Patriarch of the Pocatello, Idaho Alameda Stake
As a patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have become very aware of God’s desire to pour out blessings upon His children. I can testify that God has a unique plan and blessing for each and everyone of His children. He has a blessing for you! No matter your age. No matter your past. No matter your current circumstances. God created you. You are not accidental. You have a purpose. You have a divine destiny and you are part of the family or House of Israel:
Thus saith the Lord who created you O Jacob, and who formed you O Israel. Fear Not. For I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. Isaiah 41:1
Addressing church patriarchs, President Spencer W. Kimball said,
"Your voice is to give utterance to the message of the Lord which he has in store for the individuals who come to you. You are not the source of the promises; you have no blessings for anyone; you are but the conduit through which the blessing flows and through which the promises are carried."
As an ordained patriarch I humbly serve as a mouthpiece for the Lord. That is an overwhelmingly weighty responsibility. Each day I diligently strive to hear Him speak so I can convey His blessings to those seeking them.
GIFTS GIVEN TO PATRIARCHS. Patriarchs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are called by the First Presidency of the Church and serve under the direction of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. I was ordained to serve as a patriarch for the Pocatello, Idaho Alameda Stake in August of 2020.
When I was first received my assignment, I quickly learned that this priesthood office comes with two very special and unique gifts. The first is that I serve as a witness of the love of God. The second is that I am privileged pronounce unique gifts on people that God wishes to bestow on his children.
THE GIFT OF GOD'S LOVE. The first gift came immediately after I was ordained. I began to feel God's love for men, women, and children of all ages when I was around them. I would see people that I didn't even know and the Lord would whisper in my ear, “I love that man. He is a good person” and “I love that woman. She is my daughter.” To have these special feelings is overwhelmingly beautiful. I often feel as if I have discovered the greatest power there is. I am reminded of what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said about God's love:
"Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."
So powerful is this gift that I often will stand and observe people from a distance marveling as this revelation occurs. I causes me to think of the words of Isaiah spoke when he says,
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-4
PRONOUNCEMENTS OF PROMISES AND GIFTS. As I lay hands on the heads of humble, ordinary people, the Lord inspires to me to evoke specific gifts and blessings. Promises and reassurances come as promptings to my mind. These blessings are meant to help individuals as they pursue their journey on the covenant path.
BLESSINGS OF ISRAEL. One of the most important blessings I pronounce in every patriarchal blessing I give is the blessing of lineage. Anciently God raised up a nation from Jacob's family of 12 sons. Later, through His prophets, God ordained that Israel, who departed from serving the true and living God, would be broken up and scattered amongst all the nations of the earth. In these latter days, God will once again gather Israel and restore His choicest blessings to them. He is preparing a people to be ready to receive His Son when He comes again to rule and reign upon the earth.
My prayer and hope is that every worthy member of the Church will make the effort to get a patriarchal blessing and then do their best to live worthy of the promises it contains.
Richard D. Kirkham, Patriarch
THE PATRIARCH’S SCRIBE
SCRIBES. In Biblical times the office of a scribe was given to those who would faithfully copy the scrolls with exactness and without mistake. Scribes were disciplined and devoted to the integrity of the Word of God. Similarly, it falls upon the patriarch’s scribe to faithfully transcribe the recorded spoken words of a blessing into a written form. Written speech differs slightly from spoken speech.
Scribes can be men or women. A patriarch can also scribe his own blessings. In my case, my wife serves as scribe. As I speak the words of the blessing, my wife, who serves as my scribe, listens and records the blessing. Her task is to faithfully transcribe that which is spoken into a written form. Let me share with you how she performs her calling.
RECORDINGS. First, she will make sure that during the blessing there are two recordings made so that she will have a backup in case one fails. The scribe is the only one who should record the blessing. Parents and individuals should not record the blessing for reasons that will become obvious below. She also listens to the blessing as it is given so she has a sense of the context of all that is said. She also makes certain that each blessing has a declaration of lineage.
ROUGH DRAFT. After everyone leaves, Kathy will find a quiet time during the week to transcribe the recording. She will prepare herself to transcribe by offering prayer and having her own scripture study. She transcribes when she is rested and can focus. She listens to the recording and then transcribes each and every word exactly as I said it. She prepares what we call a rough draft. Rough drafts typically have no paragraphs and very little punctuation, because I don’t explicitly provide those as I speak. She types this onto a collaborative document that we share.
Once she has this draft complete she will not touch it again. It remains exactly as transcribed in case I need to refer back to this version of the blessing for reference. The rough draft is so accurate that I have only had to go back to a voice recording on one occasion to verify something I said.
THE FINISHED VERSION. Next, she will prepare a “finished” version of the transcribed blessing. This version will be in blue so I will not mistake which version is which. She will break the finished version into complete sentences and paragraphs. For example, if I have used a very long and confusing sentence that is not parallel or is joined together in multiple places by conjunctions, such as the word “and”, she will offer a simplified suggestion to properly divide the sentence. This makes the blessing easier to read and to understand. She also researches scriptural references that I may have quoted in the blessing. Nearly every blessing will have at least one scripture or multiple fragments of scriptures. She will place the references in parentheses after the quotation. If I have not quoted the verse exactly as it appears in the scriptures, she will put the correct quotation in parentheses after the words that I have used so that I can make the comparison.
STUDY. As she does the transcription she often is prompted to study the topic named in the blessing. She will read conference talks and look up reference materials that help to validate things that are said that may not be commonly taught. For example, one blessing went something like this,
“The great love that you have in your heart will be magnified in the months and years to come as you sacrifice your will to the will of your Heavenly Father. Herein lies a test, whereby The Lord will know if your heart is as true as Jonathan’s for you will be loyal to God. I promise if you are true and faithful that He will reward you tenfold.”
When she read the part referring to “Jonathan's heart” it wasn’t clear to her who Jonathan was and why he would be mentioned in this particular patriarchal blessing. So she did some research. She learned that Jonathan, as you may recall, was the son of King Saul and potential heir to his throne. But Jonathan knew that David had been anointed by God to be King and not him. So he was loyal to David in spite of his connection to the throne, and in spite of his allegiance to his father who was not righteous at that time and had sworn to destroy David. David always trusted Jonathan and vice versa. Jonathan’s loyalty is one of the great examples of faithfulness, commitment, and devotion ever recorded in scripture. In this blessing the recipient was challenged to always be faithful to God just as Jonathan was faithful to David.
A PERSONAL TOUCH. Finally, she will highlight in pink those things that she reads that touch her heart. This is my favorite part of the finished blessing. This is a private interchange between us. These highlights are removed before the blessing is printed. No one else sees these highlights. We leave it to each recipient to discover the passages that will stand out for each of them. Still, I love to see her highlights. Each time I see one I read the phrase and I smile. We have shared a sacred moment together.
Sometimes when the blessing is complete she will leave me a “love note” in red at the beginning of the final draft to summarize her thoughts. Here is an example of something she wrote recently about one blessing she transcribed:
“One could literally spend days studying this blessing.
It is hard to comprehend the grandeur of it.”
FINAL APPROVAL. After she tells me the blessing is ready, I go to the room where I give patriarchal blessings. This room is sacred in our home. The patriarch's room has been properly set up and contains no worldly elements to distract from the spirit. This special room was dedicated solely for the purpose of preparing for and giving blessings. Before I open the transcribed file, I offer a prayer. I ask that the spirit that was with us when the blessing was given be with me again as I review the blessing. I make sure that everything that is now written flows well and accurately conveys what I felt the moment I gave the blessing. I always read the blessing over several times. Sometimes I may break one sentence into two, or create a paragraph break if I feel that doing so will clarify the intent and flow. However, I generally don't tamper very much with a blessing once it has been transcribed. I ask the Lord to accept it and to overlook my failings. I know a little of what Moroni must have felt when he said on the title page of the Book of Mormon,
“And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.”
PRINTING AND DELIVERY. After I feel the blessing is correct and complete, I go to the Church's website and link to Patriarchal Blessings. A special portal available to patriarchs opens up. There I have a list of everyone who has a recommend to get a blessing, a place to schedule appointments, and a link that allows me to paste the transcribed text onto a special patriarchal blessing form. The software also automatically transfers the member's information from the recommend to the header of the blessing form. The software keeps track of the number of the blessing which goes on the form as well. I indicate on a pull-down menu the lineage declared in the blessing and make sure the date on the blessing is correct. Once all that is filled out, I print out a draft which I read again. Usually this is the first time the blessing has appeared on paper. Sometimes things look different on paper so this is also an important step. I also let Kathy read over this paper draft.
FINAL COPY. Finally I print a final copy of the blessing on special 28 lb acid-free paper. I sign the blessing, place it in a protective sleeve, and seal it inside a large white envelope along with a cover letter and a photo of recipient taken with the patriarch the day they received their blessing. That way they will always know how old I was, and how young they were when they got their blessing. I always personally deliver the blessing to the home of the recipient where I encourage them to spend some sacred time studying their blessing.
Richard D. Kirkham, Patriarch
LINEAGE
As a patriarch, I spend a lot of my time studying the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I know a a good deal about the 12 tribes and many of His promises and covenants to them. As a patriarch I pronounce lineage blessings to everyone who comes to receive a patriarchal blessing. I pray over each and every individual. I pray for guidance to know through which tribe their blessings flow.
EPHRAIM IS DOMINATE. Many people believe that lineage is somewhat ‘automatic’ or ‘normal’ and that members of the Church in this dispensation will largely be identified with the tribe of Ephraim. Personally I never take that for granted. While it is true that most blessings I have given name the tribe of Ephraim as the dominant lineage, I have had the privilege of seeing many who receive their blessings through other tribes. These include the tribes of Reuben, Levi, Manasseh, Judah, Gad, Dan, and Isscar. One sister who received her blessing was of a mixed lineage that included the blessings and responsibilities of Ephraim and also blessings of the tribe of Asher because she had certain distinct attributes that marked her as one of the "daughters of Asher". Another sister of Asian descent received her blessing which stated that she was ‘grafted’ into the tribe of Ephraim. Another sister’s blessing said she had ‘the pure blood of Ephraim.’ Beyond that, everyone else has simply been named as a member of their respective tribe. As of this point in time approximately 20% of the blessings I have given have come from seven tribes outside of Ephraim.
ADOPTION. The scriptures teach us that believing gentiles are accounted as Abraham’s seed. Paul repeatedly uses the word adoption to describe how we may become sons and daughters of God by faith. (See Romans 8; 9; 11 and 2 Corinthians 6:17-18). The Lord said to Abraham, “As many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee as their father.” (Abraham 2:10) King Benjamin speaks of faithful people becoming “the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters.” They are “spiritually begotten . . . through faith.” They are born spiritually into the family of Christ (Mosiah 5:7). It makes no difference whether the blessings of the house of Israel come by lineage or by adoption.
WHICH TRIBE? People ask, “How does a patriarch know which tribe to assign?” Good question. Identifying a tribe is a matter of prayer and revelation. In the 49th chapter of Genesis, Jacob blesses his 12 sons. Some of their attributes, strengths and weaknesses are identified. The 33rd chapter of Deuteronomy also enumerates blessings given to each tribe and mentions specific tribal distinctions. The holy scriptures help guide patriarchs in understanding the differences in each tribe. Patriarchs need to be familiar with each lineage and be able to briefly identify why a specific lineage is given.
CLARITY. Whenever patriarchs give a blessing it is always clear which tribe to name. Patriarchs sense certain spiritual markers and characteristics that help with lineage. The tribe of Manasseh, for example, historically was, and continues to be, dominated by individuals who are firm and dedicated to the cause of Israel. Men and women of Manasseh are stalwarts in the Church. Anciently as well as today, they support the prophet. That attribute continues to be manifest in Manassehites today. Those of this tribe have a gift of inner confidence and a solid faith in the Lord that often they cannot entirely explain. They are true believers in God’s word. They do not need to have everything proven to them. A feeling of peace and burning in the heart help patriarchs identify lineage.
Lineage is what distinguishes a patriarchal blessing from all other priesthood blessings. If a patriarch happens to omits someone's lineage, the blessing is incomplete. The patriarch follows a procedure to amend such a blessing so that everyone becomes part of the covenant House of Israel.
As a patriarch I prepare for each blessing by studying the tribes of Israel with each individual in mind. The blessing I give generally outline the role, attributes and responsibilities of the tribe. Individuals have the responsibility to further discover through personal study and revelation their unique callings and assignments in the house Israel.
Richard D. Kirkham, Patriarch
A TRIBUTE TO THE MATRIARCHS
THE MATRIARCHS. Some have asked me, “Are the matriarchs of the scriptures ever mentioned in patriarchal blessings?” The answer is yes. Often blessings reference one’s connection to Abraham and Sarah who we revere and honor. Also on one occasion I gave a patriarchal blessing to a girl who was of the tribe of Ephraim. In her blessing I said,
“Abraham was given rich promises that his faithful posterity would be more numerous than the sands of the sea and the stars in the heavens. His blessing was reaffirmed to his daughter-in-law Rebekah. She was promised that she would be “a mother of thousands of millions” and that her children would “possess the gates of their enemies”. You are one of her children. And it is your right to possess the gates of your enemies.” (See Genesis 24:60)
GATES - POINTS OF ACCESS. This peculiar reference to gates that came up in this woman’s blessing was interesting to me. She was young, vulnerable and delicate. In ancient times, gates were points of access where people would come and go. Gates were the public places where people met, contracted, and worked out their problems. Gates represent points of vulnerability where enemies try to attack.
Each of us has certain spiritual gateways to our souls. Those gateways include our ability to empathize and love, our believing hearts, and our desires to do what is right. In her blessing she was warned that these gateways are where the Evil One will attempt to target her. Lucifer is our common enemy. He seeks to possess the gates of our souls. He whispers things that are not true: that God has forgotten us, that He has abandoned us, and that He does not even exist. Whenever Satan approaches our gates, each of us must drive him back by being pure and virtuous so we can fulfill our mission as one of Rebekah’s descendants.
THE SAVIOR IS THE KEEPER OF THE GATE. Additionally there is One who intimately knows all the gateways of our soul. We must let him be our Gatekeeper and none else. He is our Savior. He will protect us and fortify our gates through the power of his marvelous Atonement. He has made it possible for us to overcome all the challenges and difficulties that will transpire during the course of our lives. We must rely on Him and believe in Him. The Lord commands us to let Him prevail in our lives. We have been taught that the name Israel means “let God prevail”.
CONCLUSION
May God bless each of us by faith to turn our worries, concerns, sins, and weaknesses over to Jesus Christ. He will give us the guidance and protection that we need. If we trust Him, we will find that He will take us by the hand and give us answers to our prayers. He will carefully lead us to exaltation and eternal life.
The Lord loves YOU. Of that I am a witness. He has a blessing for you. Seek it. Ask him to bestow upon you the righteous desires of your heart and I promise you that He will hear your prayers and He will answer them, in His own way and in His own time.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY READING "HOW I PREPARE TO GIVE A PATRIARCHAL BLESSING". CLICK HERE.
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