Help for our Prayers

-


Scripture: Romans 8:26 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Devotion:

            I often feel very weak in my prayer life. It seems that when I want to pray for someone or something and I can never find words to express what I want to pray. And at other times I do not even know how to pray at all. So, I take comfort at the words of today’s scripture reading. Here is Paul the great apostle to the gentiles, admitting that he also feels weak and impotent in prayer. I know then that I am not alone in my struggles with prayer.

            Quite often I have been reduced to groans, sighs, and tears instead of actual words when I pray. At other times I borrow from the prayers of the church. I use the psalms as God approved prayers. Likewise, I also use the prayers from the prayer collections of the church. These prayers can help me in my groaning and sighing. They say things that help me express my deepest feelings to God.

            Another thing that helps me to pray is to do it whenever I feel the need. Waiting to pray often causes me to forget what I was going to pray for and sometimes forget to pray all together. My weaknesses are apparent when I am asked to pray aloud for the church or at some event even a mealtime prayer. I learn to depend on the Holy Spirit to direct my prayers. As my sighs and groaning make for poor public prayers. I am learning that I can trust God to provide the words to express my intentions in prayer.

            My prayers often can be inarticulate and seemingly meaningless to me. I must depend on God to know my heart and the intent of my prayers. God wants me to communicate with him. No relationship worth its salt is built without communication, and without communication any relationship will fall apart. I want you, dear reader, to be encouraged in your prayer life. Now that you know that even the great apostle Paul struggled with prayer and relied on the Spirit to help him in his prayers. Let us in our weakness now go before the Lord in humility and honesty to pray in the Spirit,

Prayer:

            Lord God Almighty, hear our weak and feeble prayers. We give you thanks for your gift of the Holy Spirit that helps us to pray. We praise you for knowing everything we intend to pray even if we cannot find the words to express what is deep down in our hearts. Help us to pray and praise you with everything we have. May we truly learn to love you through our prayers. Let us be faithful in worshiping you with our prayers. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more