Developing Prayer Power

Last weekend I had the chance to hear my father preach (something I always enjoy). He spoke on Romans 8:26-27—"Developing Prayer Power."

One of my earliest memories of my father was finding him on the coach reading his Bible or down on his knees praying. He chose an hour when the house was quiet, and he did it every day. I believe this left a deep impression on all my siblings as well as myself. His example spoke more to me about the importance of daily time with God than numerous sermons could have. So, when he admitted in his sermon that he doesn't fully understand prayer, one listens.

What can we know about prayer?

I. Understanding Our Need to Pray

A. Our Weakness (v. 26a): "the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness"

We are not only totally unable to do anything good in the flesh, but we also don't know how to ask for what is good. The Holy Spirit then helps us "in our weakness."

Divine participation: the Spirit brings us to salvation, guides us to all Truth, shows us our need to be dependent on Him, gives us hope in the midst of trials—not doing everything for us, but working in us so that we do what fulfills God's purpose.

B. Our Prayerlessness (v. 26b): "we do not know what to pray for"

Cross-reference this passage with Matthew 7:7-11 where Jesus tells His disciples what our intercession should look like:

     1) Ask and keep on asking—Simplicity. Our prayers do not need to be flowery or complex, but rather should be simple, asking our Father in heaven for what we need and desire.

     2) Seek and keep on seeking—Intensity. Our prayers shouldn't be trite or out of habit/tradition, but should be honest, heart-felt, intense.

     3) Knock and keep on knocking—Persistency. If God says "wait," He has a purpose. Keep seeking His will until He tells you "yes" or "no."

C. Our Groaning (vv. 22, 23, 26c) "creation groans, we grown, the Spirit groans"

The Greek word here for "groan" is to "utter a deep sound expressing grief, disapproval, etc."

Can you relate? Have you felt the groan in your heart when you've seen pictures of disasters, heard of the horrors of injustice, witnessed the twisting of truth, felt the pain of loss? We all have.

We know creation groans too. We've all seen the oil-covered birds and sea creatures in the Gulf. We've known of species that have gone extinct. We've known the waste and destruction of once beautiful land. It groans.

In this passage we also hear that the Spirit groans. His groans, however, change circumstances and hearts. Although we do not know what to ask for, the Spirit asks for what is good and harmonious with the will of God.

All that is good and bad in life are different colours on God's canvas. We do not see the whole design now, but one day we will see these colours formed the perfect picture under the control of the Artist's hand.

II. Understanding God's Resources in Prayer (v. 27)

A. Knowing the Mind of God: "He who searches the hearts knows"

The Holy Spirit knows our heart and our motives, and He also knows the mind of God. We must cooperate with the Divine. We need too accept what we don't understand. However God answers our prayer or works in our life, He is fulfilling a good purpose.

B. Yielding to the Will of God: "the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God"

The Spirit helps us to pray; our part is to yield to Him for what we don't understand.

C. Fulfilling the Purpose of God: "intercedes with groans that words cannot express"

God knows what is best and has promised the best for those who love Him.

Conclusion: To be effective in our Christian lives, we need to develop a growing prayer life. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:6-7 that through prayer we can replace anxiety with peace. We must begin by praying and intensify our prayer life; interceding for others and not just ourselves.
 
Prayer is a journey that takes us throughout life and ends when we speak face-to-face with Yahweh.