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His Grace Magazine!
May 2022
Praying...
R
omans 8:26: "And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought, the but Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered;" Does praying come easy for you? When you talk with God, do you struggle with what to say, or how to say it? Do you know that the Holy Spirit is working during our sweet times of prayer when we close our eyes and whisper our hearts to heaven? In the New Testament, Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this: "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus intended this prayer to be a guide or
What does the Bible say? model for our prayers, which shows us a range of subjects to include, such as to begin with who God is, and to
us in the same manner that He has forgiven us of our sins. Remember God's grace and mercy towards us,
praise Him for who He is. Remember how great and awesome God is compared to our problems! Continue on in your prayer, expressing your desire to submit to His rule and reign in your life. Pray God's will over your mind, emotions and everything else in your life. It's not your will, but the will of God that needs to be done. Then pray about your needs, reminding yourself that God will provide your every need, providing it is within His will for you. Always remember to regularly confess your sins to God, and to ask for His forgiveness, and to help us forgive others who have sinned against
and in return, show that grace and mercy toward others. Acknowledge your spiritual battles to God, asking for protection or escape from Satan's traps. Finally, pray realizing that everything we are and everything we do is for God's glory, not ours. Chapter 8 of Romans shows us the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. And so much of that work is comforting believers who are in the midst of trials and suffering. It is to be expected that in this fallen world, believers will endure various types of suffering from time to time in different ways. The Bible is filled with assurances that God comes to rescue the
weak, those who can't protect themselves, or who are oppressed, poor, or despised. We learn to cope with our present suffering by realizing our certain future glory. That hope of glory helps us to cope here and now, helps us to bear up under our present suffering. Just as we are helped in our suffering, we are also helped in our weakness by the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity and is connected with the Father and the Son beyond what we can imagine. We remain dependent upon Him that His power may be perfected in our weakness. In the sense that we do not know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit teaches us to understand the Word and what the will of God is. When we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, and by the Spirit put the things of the flesh to death, we make ourselves available and teachable. He is then able to intercede for us in our prayers through wordless groans. Sometimes, I am
