When I was a kid, I loved those dot-to-dot pages. You know, just numbered dots on a paper and you'd connect them to make a picture appear. They were pretty simple back then, but it was always fun to try to be the first one of your friends to guess how the picture would turn out. They've got really complicated ones now... like really! With stars where you stop and pick up your pencil, including numbers that go up in the hundreds. The pictures are much too detailed for a simple kid like me. But still, I like to connect the dots. Even when it comes to reasoning. And it happens to me often as I read through the Bible and come across verses that get connected in ways I never realized. Like I've heard people quote them outside the context of the passage, but with great meaning to their particular situation, and I understood how the verse applied and inspired. But when I read them IN the context of, let's say a letter Paul was writing... or mixed in with other verses which I hadn't quite realized went together, my mind starts connecting dots, creating for me a new life picture that is bigger than I imagined. Let me give you an example. I would bet almost everyone who's been a Christian a while, and needed an encouraging word when they were stuck in a jam, has heard this... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV But because in most Bibles we see verses separated with numbers, I believe our brains don't always connect the flow of ideas from one verse to the next as the writer may have intended them. I mean, I know scholars did an amazing job of translating and numbering, but let's broaden our scope and realize that Paul was writing a stream of thought from beginning to end without breaks for verse numbers. And there were sentences just before he penned these words, which I believe are KEY as to how God does this "work" in our life. Paul started out this passage paragraphs earlier, talking about being persecuted and dealing with difficulties in life. And he is trying to convince us to set our minds on a proper perspective of hoping in God... using our faith properly. But his point is.., that we have to engage. Yes, God is on our side, but He's not just going to work things out for us, without our making steps forward in faith; without our willing heart engaged. So let's connect the dots and find out just how this happens. These are the verses just before we read that, God works... 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. Romans 8:26 NLT That's interesting. Here we are, in a mess like that which Paul was writing. But our bigger problem becomes that we have no idea how to pray; no right words with which to express our need to God. So Paul is encouraging us to pray anyway... because we have the Holy Spirit who intercedes on our behalf, interpreting our prayers to the Father in words that are heavenly and not human. 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. Romans 8:27 NLT So as the Spirit groans for us, uttering these sounds filled with deep emotion, He is turning our prayers into requests that fit the will of God. So we no longer have to worry and wonder if we are praying it all correctly, as long as our heart is truly honest about longing to please Him. This is the unity of God working on our behalf... did you see the connection? The Holy Spirit, sealed in us, crying out to God the Father on our behalf... in unity. We have a problem... we feel weak in wondering, "How do I pray about this?" But we pray anyway. And the Holy Spirit interprets our human wish into something heavenly, that is uttered, groaned and pleaded to the very heart of the Father in terms that fit His will. This is God working all things... beginning with our problem, using our weakness, including our prayer. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV We certainly need to be part of the process. God knows we have problems, He realizes we stumble through praying and won't have the right words, nor plan to fix it. But that's exactly why we need Him. So the Holy Spirit takes our wishes, our wants, our needs... and wraps them in His words carrying them to the Father in a more perfect way. How awesome that we have a spiritual translator pleading on our behalf! How wonderful that we can fully trust Him with our cares. What will you trust Him for today? There must be a problem on your heart, a need, a desire, a want burning deep within your soul. I know I have them. And now I am relieved that no matter how I ask, it doesn't have to be perfect. I have more faith, I have more hope, I sense more connection knowing that my pleading is not all there is. Holy Spirit... thank You for being my great Intercessor; for hearing, listening, and translating my mess into a more heavenly prayer. Father God, thank You for always working things for good in my life; even the things I have messed up all on my own. Word of God train me today... To come to You first with my problems, knowing You will always hear me. To trust my prayer need not be perfect, but heart felt and true, knowing that I can rely fully on You to work all things for good in my life because I trust in You.
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January 2019
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