Today’s scripture reading:
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t
know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with
groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 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.
Romans 8:26-27
Today’s
devotional:
Does this sound
familiar? Determined to spend more time in prayer, you come to the appointed
hour, drop to your knees, open your mouth, and—draw a blank. Sure, you manage a
few words about what you need the Lord to do for you and your family, but you
should be praying for more than that, shouldn’t you?
Yes, you should.
Believers’ needs are indeed the Father’s concern; not even the smallest detail
escapes His notice. However, He tells His children to imitate Jesus—they should
“not merely look out for [their] own personal interests, but also for the interests
of others” (Phil. 2:4).
Selfless prayer,
though, isn’t natural to us. We too easily (and wrongly) think of God as a
genie—someone to do our bidding as we live life our own way. Thankfully, He has
supplied a Helper. The Holy Spirit, our willing and able partner in praying
effectively, intercedes for us when we can’t “pray as we should” (Rom. 8:26).
How should we
cooperate with the Spirit’s intercession for us? First, we must recognize God’s
authority, holiness, and glory. Then, we need to submit our lives to His
leadership. When we do, God’s will and desires become foremost in importance
for us. Finally, we must submit our future to Him, trusting Him to bring great
good out of negative as well as positive events in our lives.
In submission to the
Holy Spirit, we will discover greater peace and joy. We will also find new
words for our prayers to the Father as we bring petitions inspired by His
Spirit. Even more importantly, we will develop a deeper understanding of God’s
greatness.
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