“Devote yourselves to prayer … .”
Colossians 4:2, NASB
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you …”
James 4:8
Amazingly God doesn’t need to hear from us—He wants to. Privileged to pour out our hearts, we receive His comfort in exchange. Prayer intimately and powerfully connects us to God in every place.
“Devoted to Prayer: In Deep Places”
“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God …” Deuteronomy 7:9, NASB
“Trust Me, My daughter. Trust Me.”
Weighed down by heavy thoughts, my morning prayer lacked vibrancy and worship. Basically I expressed my determination to remain in prayer until I felt God’s presence … or heard from Him … or something. Craving His encouragement and direction—longing for Him—I waited.
Soothingly the Holy Spirit reminded me of His part in prayer:
“And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26).
“Too deep for words …”
Profoundly those words resonated within. There I was—a writer of words—and they simply wouldn’t come. So many needs, so many aches, and I didn’t even know how to verbalize them to my heavenly Father. Trickling down, only tears came.
Silently He communicated, “Trust Me, My daughter. Trust Me.”
Repeatedly the Lord has conveyed this message. I wish I learned more quickly! But He’s growing me. I don’t need to understand His methods or plans—I just need to trust Him. Sounds simple. But in life’s pressures, trust doesn’t come naturally. Not to me, anyway. So God patiently reminds me.
Do you sometimes think God doesn’t care about your life’s details? Do you ever feel like He’s indifferent to your needs? My friend, that’s simply not true! He has reached out and fulfilled my heart’s longing for His presence, His encouragement, and His direction countless times—not because I’m significant in myself, but because I’m significant to Him. Surely He’ll do the same for you.
Psalm 147:5 beautifully expresses, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” Instead of trying to understand the “whys” and “whats”, we just need to trust God and know He understands. God is great! God is strong! Even in deep places when we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. His groanings—too deep for words—speak for us.
Loving Father, You are my perfect Provider. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, who helps me in my weaknesses and intercedes when words elude my prayers. Please make me increasingly aware of His presence as I enter Your presence. In Jesus’ worthy name, Amen.
Drawing Near,
Emily
Image courtesy of Petras Gagilas www.flickr.com/photos/gagilas/3847728569/
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