house blessing

In our reading today Paul prays that we his readers will be given strength, wishing us to rely not on our own strength but in the strength that comes from God.  Paul has reminded time and again elsewhere in his many letters that man is in no way good enough, that we are not good enough but that we need the strength, the grace that comes from God.  If you notice Paul does not say here be strong, or be stronger.  No, for we can never be good enough.  Instead Paul calls to God to give us strength.

In this same prayer Paul also prays that we may understand, the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth of his love for us.  Paul includes all three dimensions that can be known by our senses immediately - how wide, how long, how high, except how deep.  We need to bore a hole to know that.  In saying so Paul then prays that God will give us understanding beyond what we have, not dependent on our mental capacities but understanding beyond what we have.

This is the essence of prayer, of all prayer and all blessing - to be given that strength that comes from God and to be given understanding beyond what we have.  Why?  Because we can never be good enough on our own.

Too many things happen in our lives now, especially now, that needs a strength more than we can muster, a strength that comes from God.  Too many things happen in our lives now, especially now, that needs to be understood beyond what our minds can possibly understand.  Is this not true today?  Why, because implied in this prayer of Paul is the reality that we can never be good enough when left on our own. 

And so we bend our knees to God in prayer - we are reminded to pray, we need to be blessed, we need to depend on a power greater that we have.  Why?  We can never be good enough when left on our own.

And so we pray.