Romans 8:26-28
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
One of my goals this year has been to spend more time with God. By that, I mean taking more time to speak to and hear from God. I want to build a stronger relationship with my creator. There are some days, however, when I want to go to God, but I have no idea what to say.
Now, I could feel guilty about this. I could feel like I have failed in my prayer life. Or, I could recognize that most of the things I am praying for, or praying about, aren't what's really on my heart. I can run down the list of things I am thankful for. I can step through praying for my family, friends, and those that have asked for prayer. I can pray for my country, its government, and ask for revival in the church. And those are all good things, but my soul is crying out to God in a way that I could never recognize, or put into words.
One thing I have learned from Romans 8 is that the Holy Spirit acts as our advocate. He's like our lawyer, appealing to the judge. The Holy Spirit speaks the lingo that the judge understands. And so while I go about my day, attempting to be a better me, the Holy Spirit is pleading my case to God.
This wasn't always so. Look at the Old Testament. God was constantly looking for a few good men, and time after time, he had a really hard time finding them.
Fortunately, because we live in a world where Jesus has paid the ultimate price for us, we now have access to God through the Holy Spirit. So instead of wiping out the majority of the population in a flood, God continually hears about how he should spare us from the fate that we deserve. Instead of living in fear of total separation from God, we live in hope of eternity with him.
Not only does God not destroy our cities, he actually works in our favor. Even though we continue to reject him every day, the Holy Spirit is still there, working on our behalf, speaking in unison with God's will. And because God is faithful in ALL his promises to us, we can be confident "that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
That's exciting. That should give you hope. That's something to pray about. God says we can handle the truth. And the truth is that God loves us. God REALLY loves us.
Let me be more specific.
God loves you. God loves you just the way you are, faults and all. God loves you the same as he did yesterday, and the same as he will tomorrow. You have not ticked off God. God is not ignoring you. God did not leave you. God is not working against you. God did not cause the bad things in your life to happen. God is not going to strike you down with a lightning bolt.
You live in a broken world. You live in a world that is literally trying to kill you. You live in a world that is trying to separate you from your creator.
But there is a fight worth fighting. There is work we can do here on Earth that will ensure our eternal survival. We are called to share the truth with those people whom God puts into our lives. We are called to spend time with other people fighting the same fight we are. We are called to seek God, and his will for our lives.
Come find out more about how God loves you and how nothing can separate us from our creator. Join us this Sunday as we wrap up our series on Romans 8.
If you want to read more about Romans 8, click here. If you'd like to watch any of the previous messages from our Romans 8 series, or any series, check out the Messages page.
