Devotion: Romans 8:26

Romans 8:26 In the same way,the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 

I LOVE this verse! I am not the greatest when it comes to prayers. It is definitely not an area I am gifted in. So many times when I am trying to pray my mind wanders, I lose track of things, my mind works fifty steps ahead of what I am trying to say… You know, where you are saying one thing but thinking of the next thing you will say – but numerous steps ahead. That’s me. ADHD prayers to the tenth power.  I easily get sidetracked, lose my place, and sound like I’m having a seizure.And if I am having an overly anxious day? Don’t even get me started on how much I ramble then. I am simply put, a total mess when it comes to praying.

And sometimes I just don’t know WHAT to pray. It is not that I struggle with the how of praying, but that I struggle with the what to pray for or what to say.

But I take comfort in knowing it’s okay. Why? Because the Spirit is interceding on my behalf. The Spirit already knows what is in my mind, even before I understand it, and is already speaking to the Father on my behalf. How awesome is that?

Just like we learned yesterday, in our weakness He is strong. And in our weakness in prayer, the Spirit is already at work. Despite the fact that we have access to the Father through prayer, many times our weakened, human minds simply do not know how to pray. It is then that the Spirit steps in on our behalf. And best of all? Romans 8:27 goes on to say the One who searches hearts (the Father) knows the mind of the Spirit and being One, answers those prayers.

Take comfort in knowing you have help when you have no clue what to say in prayer. When you are facing anxiety and stress and feel like all you are doing is repeating yourself over and over, know the Spirit is there and working on our behalf. The Spirit is our advocate (John 14:16) and we can trust It to be interceding for us in those times when we flounder.

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