The Lord Intercedes for Us - The Crosswalk Devotional - October 26
The Lord Intercedes for Us
By: Michelle Lazurek
Bible Reading:
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” - Romans 8:26-27
It was a summer of trial. It was one thing after another, with no end in sight. My husband and I prayed together and clung to God's promises. We read the Word and hoped God would lessen the trials and be a little more merciful. But it never stopped. My husband’s income became volatile. My daughter’s car died, right after her hours were dramatically reduced at her job. My son moved away with no opportunity to see him in the near future. It was all too much. For several months afterward, trials kept coming hard and fast; they were actually comical. Each week brought something new to our home that we had to fix. One night, as I got into bed, I considered praying. However, I had no words to pray.
Instead, I repeated the word “help” in my mind. The tears streamed down my face and onto my pillow; I remembered this verse in that moment. This is what it's like for the Holy Spirit to intervene for us with wordless groans. The Spirit knows exactly what we need even when we cannot articulate or formulate the words to pray in an intelligible language. When I’ve been in so much pain due to illness, I’ll groan to find relief from the pain. This is why the Spirit groans—to help find us relief from our pain.
The good news is that because God knows us intimately and knows everything about us, he already knows what we need before we express it. The genius of the gospel is that we don't need to have the right words or say exactly what we need to express. Even when we don't pray and ask for exactly what we need, the Holy Spirit’s love and omniscience carry our requests to His ears.
Isn’t it nice to know we don’t have to have it all together to have an intimate relationship with God? We have all gone through difficult trials in our lives. But some seasons seem harder than others. When it feels as if God is being relentless and allowing trials to transform our character, we can take solace in knowing that we don't need to pray the right words—or even pray any words at all. All we need to do is come to the Spirit with a contrite heart, and he will do the rest.
Is there something that you have not taken the time to pray for?
Is there something that you've not brought to God because it's simply too difficult for you to express? Perhaps you have a wayward child, a difficult relationship, or some other hardship that is preventing you from having an intimate relationship with God. Everyone goes through dry spiritual times. Simply because God feels distant does not mean he is. Instead, he is always present with us. Even if we cannot feel his presence, we can take comfort in knowing he is with us, knows exactly what we need, and his Spirit intercedes for us.
Don’t be afraid to bring to God your deepest, darkest feelings. It is not unknown to God. In fact, it is downright silly to hide our deepest feelings from God because he knows us so intimately—he even knows how many hairs are on our heads! God wants us to come to him with our feelings because he loves us. He never asks us to be perfect to be a part of God’s kingdom.
Father, thank you for knowing us intimately. Thank you for sending your Spirit to be our advocate, even in times of great trial. Take comfort in knowing that you are interceding for us with groans that only God can hear and understand. Remind us that God will answer our deepest groanings. Amen.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is an area of your life that you have difficulty bringing to God? Take a moment to bring it to Him now.
Further Reading:
Matthew 26:49
Go Deeper: Is Your Ambition God-Honoring?
Is your ambition God-honoring? How do you know when godly ambition has slipped into vainglory? We explore that and more in today's episode. Like what you hear? Follow Bought + Beloved with Kirby Kelly on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
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