Almighty God, we confess that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This prayer is written in my prayer book’s entry for the third Sunday in Lent.

The humility in this prayer is clear. And it’s true.

As Lent continues on, I consider how it’s reminding me that life is actually about Christ and that the Christian life is about humble dependence on God and acknowledging that we can do nothing without Him.

If God does not keep us, then we are lost.

No matter what skills or abilities we may have, they are nothing when we are out in the world. There is too much to distract us, harm us and confuse us.

Only with God as our shield will we be safe.

Again, I hear just how much this contrasts with the rhetoric of the world, and even sometimes that of the church.

Pray without ceasing.

How often as a church collective do we have prayer meetings? How often do we meet to pray about issues in the world? How often do we acknowledge that, when it all boils down, we actually have no power to achieve anything?

Perhaps we do this. If so, praise the Lord.

However, it does make me question how and when we might do this more.

Yours powerless without prayer,

Alison