Pray!

Pray!

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26 KJV

There is something amazing about being God's child. There are secrets and mysteries about that relationship that words cannot fully quantify or qualify. Today's extract starts with a definition of hope, and this is how I understand it: if I know how and when it ends, it is not hope. If I am certain about the direction and I know the full details of all that is coming, what I have isn't hope. There are parts to my walk with God and the final destination that I do not yet fully understand. How my mortal body will give way to immortality hasn't been experienced yet, but in all, I trust the Word of the One who called me His own, shed his blood for my redemption and sealed my eternal hope. As I wait, I learn patience and composure.

And then there is help available for me, as I wait for the fullness of all that has been promised. Who else is qualified to show me the way except the One called the Way? Who can show me the truth of what I need and how I need to walk and live, except the One called the Truth? Of course, who else can take me on the journey to eternal life except the One who is called the Life and knows the demands and direction of the journey? Introducing the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who is the seal of redemption for all who have put their trust in God.

What does the Holy Spirit do: just in today's extract alone, a few are obvious. First, without his help, we do not have the strength to live in line with God's dictates. How do I receive strength to live right, outside of the One who gives strength? If I am to be empowered for all that lies ahead, the secret lies with the Holy Spirit. Secondly, without his help, how do I pray in line with the will of the One who calls me His own? Man is inherently selfish, and even with salvation, there has to be a daily dying to self. How would I ever achieve this if I am left alone to fight by myself? That fight is doomed because the old man has been around longer than I have been, and he knows the weaknesses. Only by the help of the Holy Spirit am I able to conquer the wiles of the old man, and receive strength required for the journey ahead.

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit pleads my case before God. When I pray, I need the help of God to pray the right way and for the right reasons. There are times of heaviness and uncertainty that may come, but the Holy Spirit is there to help me navigate those troubled times. So when I pray, even with heaviness, he goes to meet the supplications. That is deep: he goes to meet my supplications. It's like he has been waiting for me to pray and ask, so He can get on the business of helping. After all, He is called our helper. It is as if He comes, pick up the burdens and takes them over. He is able to fully express the depth and weight of the burdens, and can fully express them and deal with them in a way that only the Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent God can. When you know who and what the Spirit is and does, you know you just can't do life without his help. The one thing then that I must do is to make sure the Holy Spirit is my daily companion in all I do. What is your own decision? Need help? Get the Holy Spirit. His time of favour is here.