Observation & Obedience: Our theme for the month of May is: Our weakness; God’s strength and power. So many times we try to do everything in our own strength first and then turn to God when we fail.
Where does God’s strength come from? We’ve seen in Nehemiah 8:10b that it is God’s joy that gives us strength to face whatever comes our way. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!
In Psalm 73:26, it is God’s presence that makes us strong when we are physically, mentally and emotionally weak. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, we recognize that fear, weakness and timidity doesn’t’ come from God, but from the Enemy. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
His Word for today gives us another example of our limited human capacity. This time it has to do with prayer. Have you ever struggled with what to pray for or how to pray?
Some of the weakest times in my own life have left me speechless; not knowing how or what to pray for. In fact, this is what prompted us to create our Prayer Postcards.
But we don’t have to feel hopeless. We don’t need to think we have to have all the right words in order for God to hear us. Know that God has not left us to our own limited resources to cope with life and its problems.
The good news is that even when we don’t have any words, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. His words are personal, powerful and perfect; better than any prayer we could ever put together and present to God.
Isn’t it reassuring to know that we have the Holy Spirit praying for us? How does he know what to pray? And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will (8:27 NLT).
God knows the cares and concerns that are breaking your heart and are keeping you from being able to put words to your feelings. He knows your deepest needs. He knows what is keeping you up at night and anxious during the day. He knows it all, that’s how he understands the Spirit’s groanings.
We must remember two things: 1) The Holy Spirit only intercedes for believers; those who believe in and have accepted Christ as their Savior and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them.
2) The Holy Spirit pleads for us in accordance and harmony with what God’s will is for us. He’s not going to ask God for something that goes against his plan and purpose.
In our weakness, we can go to God in prayer knowing that the Holy Spirit is waiting for us to ask for his help. He is always available to intercede for us. We don’t have to wait until we have all the right words. And because he prays from our heart, we can trust that God understands and will always answer according to his will; with what is best for us!
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16 NLT).
Prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the indwelling of your Holy Spirit. It’s so good to know that when I don’t have the energy or words to say, he will intercede for me with all that’s weighing me down. May I not think I have to have all the right words in order to pray or depend on my own wisdom and strength to be heard. Amen.”
Encouragement: We must pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulty. Oswald Chambers
No comments:
Post a Comment