In Touch - Dec. 1, 2009
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- Published Nov 30, 2009
December 1
Our Helper in Prayer
Romans 8:26-27
Christians
need the Holy Spirit's help in prayer. At times in our faith life, we will find
that we cannot:
• Find the right words,
• Discern God's will,
• Recognize what He is doing, or
• Grasp the complexity of a situation.
Periods of struggle in
prayer are normal for
believers. Few of us are as eloquent as the psalmist
David—especially when we are confused, distressed, or weary. Today we'll look
at two biblical examples of prayer in challenging situations.
First,
notice that in today's Scripture, the apostle Paul admits to feeling weak in his prayer
life. His well-known request was for God to remove a "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7).
Paul pleaded desperately—and
probably with great effort—for relief. With the Spirit's help, he came to understand the
Lord's call to endure in spite of pain.
And
second, Jesus Christ agonized over the divine call to sacrifice His life at
Calvary. Although
He was committed to doing God's will, He dreaded the immeasurable spiritual suffering that lay ahead. As He lay on the
ground, the Savior uttered this urgent sentence: "My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me; yet
not as I will, but as You
will" (Matt. 26:39).
God knew we'd need help in prayer. With our limited human perspective, we cannot know all aspects of the situations facing us. But the Holy Spirit understands our needs and burdens—as well as the "big picture." He carries our requests to God even when we can't adequately express them.
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