ICS Daily Devotions
Pray Until Something Happens
When someone is going through or has just gone through a period of suffering, the verse “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” is often quoted. This is quoted out of context because the qualification to quote this verse is to accept the outcome after we have spent time in prayer, with the help of the Holy Spirit, groaning and praying on our behalf.
Unfortunately, prayer is one of the weakest disciplines in the church and in the life of the individual.
All of us have experienced some form of suffering. It will be helpful to bear in mind the love of God and having eternity in perspective whenever we go through a period of intense suffering. While life on earth is important, God has eternity in mind for us and that is why he sent Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary to ensure that we will spend eternity with Him. This suffering on earth will be incomparable to the glory that we will enjoy in eternity.
There are different kinds of suffering. Some of us might even be facing some challenges that come our way because of spiritual attacks.
Romans 8:26-28 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
If there are spiritual forces to kill, steal and destroy our lives, we must not use our own strength to face it. We need to engage the help of the Holy Spirit in such situations.
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to pray through us or to help us in our prayers if we yield to Him. The Holy Spirit groans and is expressing what we feel from within because He is able to empathize with us. The Holy Spirit will also intercede for us according to the will of God, which is a most wonderful thing.
There is no way for us to know the entire situation that we are facing because we are not omniscient. However, God is! We can trust the Holy Spirit to know what is best of us when He prays for us.
1 Cor 14:14-15 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
The Holy Spirit will work with us in prayer because He will not pray apart from us. We have to will ourselves to pray and He will pray through us. Therefore, we need to come before God to pray in a known language and in tongues when we are in the weakest moment of our lives. We will be able to cover all aspects of our situation when we pray in the understanding and in tongues.
Sermon Series: Sufferings
