Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
October 2, 2024
Romans 8:18-27
18 I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. 20 Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. 23 And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. 24 We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? 25 But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. 26 In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. 27 The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will.
Good Morning! The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf!
Praying can be awkward! For what and for whom should we pray? The more we worry about the proper words, the more uncomfortable we feel. In a group setting, we might worry about how we pray. Of course, there is the big question: How much should we share? Most of us struggle with our vulnerability, so we truly don’t want others to know of our greatest weaknesses.
God knows our every thought, word, and deed, and by design, sent the Holy Spirit to advocate on our behalf. Does God pay better attention when we pray aloud? We can pray without voicing our thoughts but for me, praying aloud helps me to process and pull my thoughts together. Even when our words come out disjointedly, or we have long pauses and stumble over our words, God listens and hears as Paul reminds us. Even our utterances that manifest themselves as groans are shared through the Holy Spirit, who intercedes on our behalf.
Some of the most moving prayers I’ve heard have come from children. They are simple and basic but heartfelt. Pray often! God is listening!
Dear Lord, We are your children! We struggle over many things. We think we need fancy words to pray. Help us worry less about the words and more about the feelings. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God will care for our concerns even if we don’t voice them.
Let your heart lead you in your prayers! Pastor Liz
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