Prayers Verses Blessings

[Traveler]

I am not sure that there is a lot of doctrine or information about the difference between a prayer and a blessing.  I thought it may be interesting to start a thread to discuss this.  I was taught in my youth and on my mission that there are importance differences - even in wording.  I wonder what impressions others have.

 

The Traveler

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Traveler said:

I am not sure that there is a lot of doctrine or information about the difference between a prayer and a blessing.  I thought it may be interesting to start a thread to discuss this.  I was taught in my youth and on my mission that there are importance differences - even in wording.  I wonder what impressions others have.

 

The Traveler

I had asked the same questions before.

Apparently no one was interested.

[Anddenex]

President Nelson in this past conference placed "true" in front of "priesthood blessings." So he counseled that we should give "true priesthood blessings" and shared a baby blessing by whom the brother gave a wonderful prayer but not a blessing.

Prayer is petitioning the Lord to bless. So prayers will have a component of blessings.

To bless is more of a command (probably not the best word, but a word that suffices), by which will happen immediately as well as in association with faith and works. I noticed after listening to President Nelson's talk and reviewing the others that talked about ministering I realized my "blessing" were more "counsel" and "instruction" rather than true priesthood blessing.

Example, I would often say, "I bless you to read your scriptures." This is not a blessing, it is instruction. I bless you with increased capacity to hear the voice of the Lord as you read your scriptures" is a blessing.

Prayer petitions blessings. A blessing gives blessings. It isn't a petition, it is a directive as felt by the Spirit.

[zil]

Priesthood session, 2018 April GC: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/ministering-with-the-power-and-authority-of-god?lang=eng

Quote

Not long ago, I attended a sacrament meeting in which a new baby was to be given a name and a father’s blessing. The young father held his precious infant in his arms, gave her a name, and then offered a beautiful prayer. But he did not give that child a blessing. That sweet baby girl got a name but no blessing! That dear elder did not know the difference between a prayer and a priesthood blessing. With his priesthood authority and power, he could have blessed his infant, but he did not. I thought, “What a missed opportunity!”

Let me cite some other examples. We know of brethren who set sisters apart as Primary, Young Women, or Relief Society leaders and teachers but fail to bless them—to bless them with the power to fulfill their callings. They give only admonitions and instructions. We see a worthy father who fails to give his wife and his children priesthood blessings when that is exactly what they need. Priesthood power has been restored to this earth, and yet far too many brothers and sisters go through terrible trials in life without ever receiving a true priesthood blessing. What a tragedy! That’s a tragedy that we can eliminate.

Brethren, we hold the holy priesthood of God! We have His authority to bless His people. Just think of the remarkable assurance the Lord gave us when He said, “Whomsoever you bless I will bless.”⁴ It is our privilege to act in the name of Jesus Christ to bless God’s children according to His will for them. Stake presidents and bishops, please ensure that every member of the quorums within your stewardship understands how to give a priesthood blessing—including the personal worthiness and spiritual preparation required to call fully upon the power of God.⁵

FWIW.

[Guest]

Well, I guess we've established that there is a difference in format.  But apart from that, little else.  President Nelson did hint at something when he said "What a missed opportunity."  And that is what I wonder about.

We've had other discussions about the mechanism of a priesthood blessing.  I've given some where I knew I felt no power.  Others where I definitely felt power. And still others that were in between.  The same could be said for prayer.  I've prayed for something and immediately (or soon thereafter) knew that my request would be granted, and others, not.  So, what is really going on?  Why the difference in format for roughly the same result?

Perhaps one thing is that it is a testimony builder.  While many times I know I don't feel any power, and sometimes I'm not sure, there were definitely those times that I did feel real power in those blessings.  And people were healed.  When that happens, it sure builds my faith and testimony.  While a prayer can be through faith alone (any person of any faith can have a prayer answered if it is through faith in Christ) a priesthood blessing where I, myself, feel that power and know immediately that the blessing was true will do something.  Therefore, my testimony in the line of priesthood is confirmed.

Another aspect is a father's blessing.  I don't declare the following as doctrine that is taught anywhere I know of.  But I don't believe I've read anything to dispute it either.  But I get the sense that a father's blessing is one arena where we as Elders of Zion have more latitude.  When I blessed my third child with a sense of humor as a baby, I didn't feel inspired that it was the Lord's will that this child be given a sense of humor any more than the rest of my children.  But I felt that if I said it, the Lord would honor my words.  And it's true, he smiles more and is brought to laughter more easily than any other child.  He always has since he was big enough to crawl.

My daughter is very emotional at times.  And she asks for a father's blessing quite often.  Here it is a different story.  I honestly don't know if there is power there or not.  But what I do know is that my daughter and I are brought closer as a result of the ritual.  She feels my love.  And she feels her Heavenly Father's love.  As a result, she feels better.  It could, of course, be argued that this is just a practical emotional boost one gets when doing any kind of ritual together (be it religious or not).  And the argument would be true.  But what if there is something more?  What is it? 

And even if there isn't anything more, does any other faith have anything akin to this that can bond father and child -- or husband and wife?  My wife asks for similar blessings at times.  And we are brought closer together because of it.

So, I perceive there is something good there.  And I've felt power there.  But what is really the difference?  Why are there different formats? We have different ordinances for different things throughout the tenets of our faith.  But each has a different purpose.  Each "Saving" ordinance has a different covenant and purpose associated with them.  But why this difference between prayers and blessings?  We have a different format.  But it seems that there should be something more.  And I don't know what it is.

Edited June 21, 2018 by Guest

[CV75]

3 hours ago, Traveler said:

I am not sure that there is a lot of doctrine or information about the difference between a prayer and a blessing.  I thought it may be interesting to start a thread to discuss this.  I was taught in my youth and on my mission that there are importance differences - even in wording.  I wonder what impressions others have.

 

The Traveler

In my mind, a prayer is a form of communication and a blessing is a form of priesthood service.

[SpiritDragon]

I can't say that I have a definitive answer, if I did, someone else likely would too. I can say that I am interested in exploring this topic.

I'm thinking in terms of application that a prayer is more akin to some one in a kingdom with a benevolent king who petitions the king for specific favours with faith that the king will help. A priesthood blessing is more like a servant of the king coming and pronouncing that you're entitled to certain blessings if you desire to claim them. Not just anyone can make such a pronouncement though, only one who is authorized and shows the king's seal. Now perhaps with a truly powerful and loving king the end result would be the same, however, it seems to me that until the end result came to be that the latter pronouncement might increase one's faith that the desired blessing will happen more than simply submitting a request would bolster faith that it will all work out. So one possibility is that Priesthood blessings serve a primary function in bolstering faith.

I do think there must be more to it than that though, since there is so much time spent on teaching about the power and authority of the priesthood.Another possible difference could have to do with the idea of things to act and things to be acted upon. Consider that humans have been granted agency and can choose for themselves, they are things that act. Inanimate objects such as rocks are things to be acted upon. Perhaps, as things that can act, when people pray they are given revelation (through the power of the priesthood, interestingly enough) directing them how to act in order to have a positive outcome. Whereas, it seems plausible to me that when a priesthood blessing is given that is by way of commandment to things to be acted upon.

For instance, think of the story in conference about the ensign who was directed through prayer to make suggestions to change how the boat was operating in order to safely navigate a storm, compared to Jesus commanding the storm to stop. The first would fit the idea of revelation giving direction in answer to prayer and the second fits elements to be acted on doing as they're commanded by the power of God. When an individual is sick and receives a healing blessing sometimes they are given counsel for how to cope with the illness and so on - this might be a wasted opportunity to pronounce a blessing commanding the elements that make up their body to operate in a way conducive to health. Sometimes though, counsel may be all that can be given in a blessing because the outcome is based on the agency of the individual more than any physical condition that could be corrected by way of commandment. Once again though, in the absence of a priesthood blessing, the same blessings of the priesthood can be had by the faithful and worthy servants, just less directly by helping them know what to do for themselves to get there.

Edited June 21, 2018 by SpiritDragon

[Grunt]

 

3 hours ago, Anddenex said:

President Nelson in this past conference placed "true" in front of "priesthood blessings." So he counseled that we should give "true priesthood blessings" and shared a baby blessing by whom the brother gave a wonderful prayer but not a blessing.

Prayer is petitioning the Lord to bless. So prayers will have a component of blessings.

To bless is more of a command (probably not the best word, but a word that suffices), by which will happen immediately as well as in association with faith and works. I noticed after listening to President Nelson's talk and reviewing the others that talked about ministering I realized my "blessing" were more "counsel" and "instruction" rather than true priesthood blessing.

Example, I would often say, "I bless you to read your scriptures." This is not a blessing, it is instruction. I bless you with increased capacity to hear the voice of the Lord as you read your scriptures" is a blessing.

Prayer petitions blessings. A blessing gives blessings. It isn't a petition, it is a directive as felt by the Spirit.

I just listened to that talk again this morning. 

[Anddenex]

3 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

 Not just anyone can make such a pronouncement though, only one who is authorized and shows the king's seal.

This is an excellent point. Prayer can be offered by anyone. True priesthood blessings can only be offered by those who have been given authority and who are worthy.

This coincides with a thought after reading @Carborendum's comment. A prayer is a petition by which God answers even by others. Priesthood blessings, the individual becomes the source conduit of the blessing, by which like Christ we may recognize "virtue had gone out of [us]." Something similar to possibly a transfer of heat/cold. Just a thought.

[Guest]

14 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

I'm thinking in terms of application that a prayer is more akin to some one in a kingdom with a benevolent king who petitions the king for specific favours with faith that the king will help. A priesthood blessing is more like a servant of the king coming and pronouncing that you're entitled to certain blessings if you desire to claim them.

The prayer analogy is fine.  That makes sense.  But the blessing analogy doesn't seem to make sense to me.  A blessing is not a pronouncement of "blessings you are entitled to".  Rather they ARE blessings.  If looked at in that way, are they "answers" to prayer?

[SpiritDragon]

1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

The prayer analogy is fine.  That makes sense.  But the blessing analogy doesn't seem to make sense to me.  A blessing is not a pronouncement of "blessings you are entitled to".  Rather they ARE blessings.  If looked at in that way, are they "answers" to prayer?

Hmmm. Perhaps you are right. I was thinking in terms of whether or not someone has faith sufficient to receive the blessings and, of course, desires the blessing. Often the Saviour and prophets, such as Joseph Smith, would ask a person if they had faith before pronouncing a blessing on them. A more specific example would be the reception of the Holy Ghost where the recipient is commanded to receive it, but only does so through actions based on choices, which show faith and desire. That being said, I can argue from your perspective as well such as Lazarus being commanded to come forth and it was done. Perhaps this is what Lazarus would have chosen, and I can't really see the Lord commanding him to remain in mortality against his will, but the blessing simply WAS as you say - at least insofar as we have the account.

It's also possible that both of these perspectives are aligned, but just being perceived differently. I'm looking it at it from the angle of blessings ARE in regard to things to be acted upon, but when it comes to things to act, such as people, then the blessing IS so long as the individual chooses it to be so.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, SpiritDragon said:

A more specific example would be the reception of the Holy Ghost where the recipient is commanded to receive it, but only does so through actions based on choices, which show faith and desire.

I don't see the Gift of the Holy Ghost that way.

The confirmation ordinance consists of two parts:  The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost (covenant making ordinance) and the pronouncement of additional blessings.  The second part is not a part of the ordinance by any Divine mandate.  It has simply become custom (so far as I know).  One could argue that the ordinance is for the covenant.  The blessing is for... well... the blessing.  But I see them as two separate ordinances.

As a covenant, the Lord requires something of us, then gives us something in return.  Him "requiring" something could be deemed as a command.  But in the matter of a covenant?  I dunno.   Maybe?

[SpiritDragon]

@Carborendum, I don't know either, my friend. I wasn't even thinking of the blessing that follows the command to receive the Holy Ghost during a confirmation, just thinking of the wording I say unto you receive the Holy Ghost, but how it's not automatic, one still needs to choose to live worthy of this blessing to have the Holy Ghost. You make a great point though about the covenant relationship with this as opposed to say a blessing on the sick. The sick person is not really under any obligation to do anything to receive the healing besides exercising faith that the healing can happen and following any counsel given in the blessing.

Quote

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

I suppose the blessings of healing would be predicated on having faith the Lord can heal, faith the servant speaks for the Lord, and faith to be healed. The blessing of receiving the Holy Ghost would be predicated on keeping the baptism/confirmation covenant.

In the ordinance work it is obvious why the priesthood authority is important and serves a greater purpose than prayer alone. When it comes to a healing blessing if it all comes down to faith as the law it is predicated on, we are again left to wonder how the authority of the priesthood matters in the healing blessing compared to prayer other than serving as a crutch to bolster faith. I just feel there has to be more to it than that, hence my thought that perhaps the priesthood directly commands elements (things to be acted upon) while counseling people (things that act). I'm not set in the opinion by any stretch, simply putting it out there to discuss and see if we can't support or refute it.  

[Traveler]

Sorry for not posting earlier – I have been disposed lately.   Over my life experience I have been taught the following:

#1. All blessings come from G-d.  Prayers come from people

#2. Blessings require someone authorized to speak for G-d.   Prayers can be offered by anybody.

#3.  Blessings require the faith of both the person speaking for G-d and those receiving the blessing.  Prayers only require the faith of the person praying and participating with the prayer.

 

When offering prayers:

#1.  Use humble speech – do not make demands or promise deals.  Rather have an attitude of asking and pleading.

#2.  Show respect – use language that recognizes the glory and majesty of G-d.  Do not use crude or rude language.

#3.  Prayers are addressed to G-d our Father – in the name of Jesus Christ

#4.  Speak of other with respect.

#5. When praying for yourself – speak openly of your concerns and need.  When praying for a group or others; speak for them and not yourself (this applies for prayers at church or at dinner – anytime you are praying with others).

 

When pronouncing a blessing:

#1.  Identify the authority for the blessing.  If you are a priesthood holder indicate our priesthood authority.  If you have faith in Christ stat that as well or if it is the authority stat that.

#2. Blessings are directed towards the person(s) being blessed

#3.  Blessings come From the Father through Jesus Christ (in his name) - by the authority of the priesthood.

#4.  Speak positively in the first person directly to the person receiving the blessing as if you were G-d.  Say things like, “I bless you that you will see the truth”  or you may say something like, “Listen to the prophets and obey”.   But do not say things unless you are led by the spirit so to say.  If the spirit does not speak to you – then do not say anything.   Do not terms like “might” or “should”.  For example – “in order that you might find peace” – rather be more positive and say “in order that you will find peace.

#5. Never take credit for a blessing.  If someone says something like, “You gave a wonderful blessing”.  You should respond – it was not me – you should thank G-d.

 

These are my thoughts

 

The Traveler