Praying Through Romans 8Sýnishorn

Take a moment to stop and breathe. As you turned on this podcast, there were certainly many things on your mind, vying for your attention and stealing your focus away. Responsibilities, to-do lists, and anxieties can overwhelm us. We forget that pausing and praying for God to work in our lives is far more effective than rushing ahead and trying to do all of the work ourselves. Whatever those troublesome things may be, stop for just a moment and tell the Lord what they are.

Now, ask the Lord to go before you in those things. Ask Him to be your provision and your strength today. Cast your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

Thank the Lord for His active presence in your life today. Ask Him to increase your awareness, sensitivity, and obedience to the Holy Spirit as you go through your day.

Yesterday, we prayed through some of the suffering we are facing or have faced in our lives and prayed that God would give us an eternal perspective, comparing our suffering to the promised redemption that is coming– both for us and for the creation itself. Listen again to the end of our reading; Romans 8, verses 23 through 25:

“23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope, we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Romans 8:23-25

Take a moment to pause and consider your current circumstances in life. Think about what is at the top of your mind. What is it that is most troubling to you? Most difficult? Pray for a moment, and consider your circumstance in the light of our future, eternal redemption.

Today, we will see that even as we hope for that future redemption, the Spirit helps us in our weakness to trust God in the most difficult times, as He orchestrates all things for our good.

Although we can know in our minds that God is going to redeem all things, trusting in that and having hope and true belief in the middle of suffering is still really hard! Listen now to Romans 8, verses 26 through 30, and hear what Paul has to say about this.

"26Likewise 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. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

Take a moment to reflect on anything that stood out to you in the passage.

Paul tells us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Take a moment to consider what your weaknesses might be. As you follow Christ, in what ways do you need to be helped by the Spirit? Talk to the Lord about what those things are.

In what ways have you seen the Spirit work in your life to help you, give you hope and peace, and conform you more into the image of Christ?

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you now in the ways that you are weak. Invite Him into your day, to give you hope, courage, and strength to abide with Jesus.

As you consider the ways you need to be helped by the Spirit, some of the things that come to mind are probably internal– patterns of sin or weaknesses you see in yourself. But surely some are external; difficult situations with work, relational turmoil, financial worries, or circumstantial stress. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one. Maybe it’s sickness or physical pain. Listen again to Romans 8:28:

"28And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Take a moment to pray that God would give you faith to believe He will work all things out for your good, in every circumstance of your life.

Recall the ways that God has brought about good in your life, and thank Him for it.

Trusting God with our circumstances, especially suffering and hardships, is an amazing opportunity we have to be like Jesus. As Paul said yesterday, we hope for what we do not see. In trusting God and taking Him at His Word, we are made like Christ. Listen again to the end of today’s passage, verses 29 through 28.

"29For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

If we are in Christ, God has every intention of conforming us into the image of Christ, by the power of His Spirit. Spend a moment praying that God’s will would be done in your life and that you would be made more like Jesus.

Throughout your day, take some moments to stop and recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit with you. Continually remind yourself that you are God’s child, with complete access to Him through prayer. Remember the promises God has given you in Christ and let it fill you with hope. Ask God to help you walk in the Spirit today.

Tomorrow, we will continue to read through the book of Romans, as Paul expounds on what it looks like to live our lives in the Spirit and thereby find real, tangible freedom from our flesh. Tomorrow, Paul concludes Chapter 8 by emphasizing the victory we have in Christ, and the amazing love of God, which will never be taken away from us.