The Extra Help We Need

MORNING

Read Romans 8:26-27

Devotion

Some of us find intimacy with God natural, but most of us don’t. Maybe it’s because we are programmed to do things ourselves rather than rely on God. Maybe it’s because we have never been able to trust people enough to let them close. Maybe it’s because we feel that we don’t measure up to God’s expectations and don’t deserve to be close to Him. Whatever the reason, God understands our struggle and has given us His Spirit to assist us.

One way God’s Spirit helps us is by praying on our behalf. So even when you don’t pray because you’re overwhelmed, or you have nothing left to say, or you just haven’t made prayer a priority, the Spirit within you is still praying on your behalf. And He nails it every time. He knows what you need and He knows what God wants, so He keeps on crying out for you when you can’t or don’t pray.

This is not an excuse for you to shirk prayer by saying, “Well God’s Spirit prays better than I do, so why bother? I’ll let Him do the work.” God loves and responds to your prayers no matter how feeble or ordinary they are. But it does show how far God will go to build intimacy with you. He loves to hear and answer your cries even when His Spirit in you is doing the heavy lifting. He wants to be close to you. He wants to help. He wants to answer. He wants to be needed. And He will do everything He can to keep the channels of communication open.

Prayer

Thanks for praying for me Holy Spirit even when I’m saying nothing to You. I don’t deserve Your help, but I am deeply appreciative of it. I want to join You more in Your praise and prayer. I want to groan with You when needed. I want my prayers to align more and more with God’s will as Your prayers do. Together we are building a strong prayer team.

Today’s Bible Focus

“The Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)

1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.

2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.

3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.

EVENING

1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.

2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what He has said and done.

3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.

4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.