October 9, 2019
Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for our prodigals and for revival. Rachel and I appreciate your continued partnership in this burden.
The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit within us is an ongoing process that started at salvation and will continue until the time that we are taken home. According to Romans eight, when we submit to His work within us, He enables us to conquer sin (verse eleven), identify more fully with our God (verse sixteen), bring hope in the midst of suffering (verse eighteen), and also to intercede for us in our weaknesses (verse twenty-six).
Likewise 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. And 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 (Rom. 8:26-27).
The word used for weakness here means “to be in want of strength.” It has the idea of frailty, infirmity, disease, and sickness. It can be used in referring to the body or soul.
Weakness is an integral part of human existence and the Holy Spirit is active on every level in making us victors instead of losers. In Romans eight, it is our weakness in prayer that is highlighted. More times than not, we do not know what or how to pray. Because of our limitations in understanding of God’s purposes for us and others, we do not know how best to pray. We know to whom we are praying, and we know that He is able to answer our prayers, but again, we lack the knowledge of what God is doing. In these situations, the Spirit takes control and presents our prayers to the Father in line with His will for us. John MacArthur calls it, “Divine articulations within the Trinity that cannot be expressed in words, but carry profound appeals for the welfare of every believer.” Thankfully the Holy Spirit knows what is best for us and those we pray for, and thus our prayers are answered according to the mind and will of God.
While this is a wonderful aspect of the Spirit’s activity on our behalf, the challenge for us is to be men and women of prayer: continual, earnest, honest, wholehearted, holy prayer. This is what Paul meant when writing to the Ephesian believers. “Praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication” (Eph. 6:18). May God help each of us to pray like this today!
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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