Our Daily Bread: Finding Comfort in Times of Loss Exemplo

Our Prayer Partner

My Son Brian had been struggling for several hours to repair the plumbing in his bathroom. No matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work. His 4-year-old son J.D. had been watching his dad, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. Brian was about to make one more try, but before doing so he looked up at J.D. and said, “Please pray.”

The boy didn’t know what to say, so he began with his usual nighttime requests: “Dear God, bless Dad, bless Mom, bless Sarah, bless Julia. Amen.” Brian tried once more to fix the problem—and this time he succeeded.

Often we feel like J.D., not knowing what words to say. But we still come to God with our need because our confidence lies not in ourselves nor in our intercession, but in the Holy Spirit. He hears and knows our hearts, but He also hears and knows the heart of God the Father. George MacDonald wrote, “Father, . . . look deep, yet deeper, in my heart, and there, beyond what I know, read Thou the prayer.”

God’s Spirit takes our inadequate prayers, breathes into them the Father’s will, and turns them into meaningful requests (ROMANS 8:26). Although we may not get what we thought we wanted, we will receive God’s best, for our Prayer Partner knows our deepest needs. —David Roper

God hears more than words—He listens to the heart.