On Sunday, at about 3:30 PM, one of one neighbors asked me to cover over and bless his house, citing some difficulties that he and his family had recently experiencd. This is a fairly common practice with those with a Catholic background. Though less common in Protestant circles, there is some biblical basis for this. Jesus told his disciples to let their blessing fall on the house of those who received them when they went out.
Jesus may have been using house as in "household" and not a physical dwelling. But houses and households are usually quite inseparable, and usually the word translated "house" (oikos) has a double meaning.
I was thrilled to have this opportunity to bless my neighbor's house. I went over to his house, and we held hands with him, his wife, children, and extended family, and I prayed for them. I asked that God give them love, laughter, light, and blessing in all areas of their lives. I prayed for each room (living room, bedrooms, and kitchen), and I prayed that God might keep evil away from them.
It is great to know and be known by your community and your neighbors, and to have opporunities to serve those around us.
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5 comments:
Wow! What an awesome experience. I did this with my new apartment. I also did this with each house I left... praying that the next family would be blessed and would know God.
It's wonderful that your neighbor looked to you to provide that blessing for him and his "house"hold. What an honor. God is working through you to reach those in your neighborhood. You are a willing vessel and that is very evident. God Bless You!
Yes, Cynthia, this was a great experience. Thanks for the thoughts.
This was a great opportunity to bring God's love into someone's home.
It is nice that your neighbor asked you to do this because it might open more doors for you to minister to them later.
Thanks for sharing this with us. It's nice to see an opportunity to "bless" someone put into action.
Anonymous,
Thanks for your encouragement. I always love to hear of people who are able to bless others' lives in a practical way, and I glad to be able to share this.
It made me think that this might be something good to offer to people moving into a neighborhood, particularly in a neighborhood with a significant Catholic percentage.
Well done for taking and using the opportunity! A few months ago, I had the same experience. I in fact used Psalm 127 which to my mind is also good biblical basis. Blessings.
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