We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26
"She can read my mind," the husband says of his wife as she provides for a need before he asks. Two people have become so understanding and intimate that they know each other's needs and wishes without naming them.
This describes our relationship to God by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works on our behalf a relationship of total intimacy with the Father so our unspoken prayers are before the Father's throne even before we speak them, or even before we are aware of our needs. In ways that cannot be known, "with groans that words cannot express," the Spirit brings before the throne of a gracious and merciful God all our cares and concerns.
The prayers we offer, imperfect and jumbled, are presented before God in perfect order and making perfect sense. Our shortsightedness is eliminated; our self-centeredness is erased; our faith is presented full and clear. We can pray with confidence, knowing the Holy Spirit will present our prayers before God with the clarity and the respect we desire to show Him.
PRAYER: O Spirit, present before God our earnest prayers and praise; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Job 38-40 Matthew 15:21-39
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"