“Blessed Beyond a Curse” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Over the years, I’ve gained some powerful insights into the Hebraic perspectives of luck and blessing that have forever shifted the way I perceive God’s love and goodness toward us. 

You may have heard the Jewish phrase “mazal tov.” It’s often translated as “good luck” or “good fortune.” The Hebrew word “mazal” is derived from the Hebrew root word nazal, which means “to flow,” while the word “tov” means “good” or “pleasing.” “Mazal tov” is often spoken at times of great celebration and joy, such as a bar or bat mitzvah or a wedding. In those circumstances, the phrase is more of an acknowledgment of the flow of good fortune in someone’s life rather than a wish for it. God’s goodness is evident in times of celebration because we can see it with our eyes.

The root meaning of the Hebrew word “bracha,” which means “blessing, prosperity,” echoes a similar theme as mazal’s “flow.” “Bracha” shares a common root with the word “breicha,” which means “fountain, pool, wellspring, or flow.” So whether we speak a bracha over our food, to God, or over a person, or whether God speaks a bracha over us, the concept of blessing is about accessing the very wellspring of abundant life. Just as the earth draws the rain, the act of blessing draws down the flow of abundance from heaven to earth.

So what happens in moments when God’s fount of blessings appears dry in our lives? God is unchanging, and in His kingdom, there is no lack. How do we reconnect with the flow again and shift our perception from one of lack to one of abundance and blessing?

Since ancient times, many cultures have believed in the idea of luck and blessing flowing down from the heavens, specifically the stars. Even in more modern times, you might hear someone say that “the stars have aligned” when there’s a sudden flow of blessings. In those moments, it’s as if a person’s pipeline to the heavens has reconnected, and the waters of blessing can move freely once more.

While Scripture admonishes us not to look to created things as gods, for me, abiding in oneness with God has made it impossible to separate the bountiful blessings of nature from God Himself. In fact, reminding myself of how God’s blessings manifest in my life, both in the past and daily, often helps shift my mental focus out of the illusion of lack and into the reality of eternal abundance.

We can look to the sky and see the star around which our planet revolves, the sun. It provides light, warmth, and energy that sustain our world. We can look to the stars and moon at night and recognize the light that endures and acts as a guide in the darkness. We can treasure the rain that falls in its due season and then watch life flourish and bring forth its bounty. All these things are not just expressions of nature’s abundance; they are the very manifestation of God’s love for us. He designed and blessed creation to flourish with life and to self-sustain. His blessings toward us are ever-present.

So, in moments when the wellspring of eternal love seems dry, look up, beloved. Look around you. Look within you. Recognize the manifestations of God’s blessings in your life. Remind yourself of God’s faithful actions toward you, both great and small. Remember that the True Source never runs dry. 

And then, look to His covenant, His covering of blessing over you. His very Spirit fulfills His promise to be with you and guide you. Press in for Spirit’s gentle guidance. God’s abiding presence within will faithfully reconnect you to the heavenly land of promise, from which all blessings flow.

Genesis 22:16-18 (VOICE) Special Messenger: Listen to the solemn vow the Eternal One has spoken: “Because you have done what I asked and were willing to give up your son, your only son, I will reaffirm My covenant of blessing to you and your family. I will make sure your descendants are as many as the stars of the heavens and the grains of sand on the shores. I reaffirm My earlier promises that your descendants will possess the lands and sit in the gates of their enemies, and from your descendants all the peoples of the earth will discover true blessing. All this is because you have obeyed My voice.

Deuteronomy 28:12 (AMPC) The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands….