Here is a thought to chew on. Have you ever noticed that it’s incredibly easy to just mindlessly go through the motions in our walk with the Lord? Sometimes we can so easily get into a rhythm or a pattern that we actually end up losing focus on Christ, even though we are taking steps in the right direction.
Well today, let’s change it up a bit. Instead of reading my thoughts on this passage of Scripture, let’s do an activity. Come and join me this morning as we learn to wait on the Lord through prayer.
Romans 8:26-28
“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. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”
Step One: Enter In
As you read this passage of scripture above for the first time you are simply “entering in” or familiarizing yourself with what God is saying here. Notice the circumstances, people, places, etc.
Second Reading: Impress
As you read the same passage of scripture for the second time, notice what word, phrase, sentence or verse makes an “impression” upon you.
Third Reading: Pray
As you read this passage of scripture for the third time through, begin by spending a few moments in prayer thanking and praising God for His Holy Word. As you read, be prayerfully interacting with God about the text.
Fourth Reading: Live
In this final reading of the passage ask God to show you how He wants you to live based on this scripture. Is there something He would have you start doing, stop doing or continue doing?
“And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness.” For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.
God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings, yet he also understands the desires of the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit passionately pleads before God for us, his holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny.
So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.”