Parenting by Design - May 30

Help with prayer

Romans 8:26-27: "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 with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will" (NIV Bible).

Do you ever have trouble praying?  All of us do.  This passage tells us God is fully aware of our weakness in this respect.  The great news is that the Spirit and the Father work together to make our requests known to Him.

The Spirit uses "groans that words cannot express" to communicate the real needs of believers to God and, like a married couple that finishes each other's sentences, God knows exactly what the Spirit is requesting on our behalf.  What a relief to know our feeble prayers are being supplemented by the Spirit of God!

Take heart - the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is praying for you.