The Mystery RevealedSample

Day 4: Marcela Barcelona, Co-Founder of One Voice Student Missions + Founder of Women at the Well

Romans 7-8

As I’ve pondered Romans 7 and 8, the Word highlighted my need for the Spirit of God in my weakness. It speaks of how the flesh cannot fulfill the law because of its sinful nature. We are weak, and although we want to be a friend of Jesus and love as He did, we find that we cannot do it without the Spirit of God. According to Paul, we don’t even know how to pray. I often ponder this as I long to be a friend to Jesus and love others well, yet I see my weakness as a daughter, wife, mother, and friend. But, Paul offers hope and describes in Romans 8:26 how the Spirit is the one who helps us in our weakness. When we do not know how to pray as we should, He intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings, and He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. I believe Paul is painting a picture we can see lived out by Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Spirit helped Him in His moment of weakness.

As we look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we see His humanity as He asks His disciples to help Him. He wants to bring them in and for them to comfort Him and pray in His moment of weakness, but the disciples can’t because they are in despair. Jesus asks for their help three times and then tells them in Matthew 26:41, “Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” I often think about the disciples and how they must have longed to stay awake to comfort Jesus in His time of need, but they were unable to. Their sorrow and despair led them to sleep. Just as Paul promises the Spirit will do for us, in Jesus’ time of need, we see the Spirit Himself comforting Him and leading Him to pray in partnership with the desires of His Father as Jesus says in the very next verse, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, your will be done.” We are witnessing Jesus yielding His mind and flesh into deep surrender and submission to the Spirit of God and, in essence, the will of the Father.

The groan of the Spirit led Him into the glory of the Father.

It was the Spirit that led Him to the will of His Father.

We must let the Spirit of God teach us and lead us like He did for Jesus.

Humanity cannot function on its own. We are like the disciples who cannot stay awake and comfort the One we love; we cannot fulfill the law alone. We may look for help within ourselves or for others to help, but it is only when we embrace our weakness and receive the groan of the Spirit that He is perfected in power and leads us to Himself. Only then can the Spirit lead us to deep surrender, obedience unto death, and fulfilling the will of our Father. Only then is the Word made alive by His Spirit, transforming us into His image and likeness. Only by His Spirit can we partake in His sufferings; in this place, we are transformed by love to love well. It is not about our eloquent words; it is about a true partnership with the groans of the Spirit that lead us to love Him and give up our lives for the One we love and those that He loves. The Spirit reveals the One who longs to partner with us and teach us to pray. Only He can grant you the groans of compassion and love. This is the REWARD!

Romans 8:30 says, “And those He predestined He also called, and those He called He also justified, and those He justified He also glorified.” This is the GOSPEL!

Prayer: Father, we acknowledge our need and our weakness. We recognize the need for your Spirit; we ask you, Holy Spirit, to teach us to pray and lead us to Jesus. Jesus, we surrender and ask that You form us in Your likeness. Grant us the ability to receive Your love. Forgive us if we have been led by our flesh and in our pride. In our weakness, we ask that You grant us the grace to surrender to Your will willingly; we long to love You and to love well.