how prayer connects the dots

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.