EVER INTERCEDING When You Don’t Know How to Pray BY DIANA BROWN
I
got off the phone with the Hospice nurse. Her words were ringing in my ears. ”Diana, I am sorry to tell you that your aunt passed away at 3:20 this morning.”
I immediately sensed God’s care as 3:20 is a significant time. The Bible verse that Women World Leaders was founded on is Ephesians 3:20, and, to honor that, many of us pray for the ministry at 3:20 pm daily. Even in my grief, the Lord reminded me that HE is in charge and in control. Nevertheless, I was in tears - broken, sad, and confused. I didn’t know what to pray or how to pray. This was the place where I recently found myself with the passing of my aunt. Words failed me. I leaned into Jesus, trusting that He intercedes for me in my weakness, giving me the Holy Spirit’s power to connect me with our gracious Father. Sometimes, we are simply at a loss for words when we come to God in prayer. We find ourselves sitting in His presence with no idea how to proceed. We know that Jesus intercedes for us before the Father, but we don’t understand how Christ’s prayers help us in our time of need when we ourselves feel at a loss for how to pray. So I reached for my phone to play the “Casting Crowns” song, Scars in Heaven. The words to Scars in Heaven reminded me that, like everything in my faith walk, my prayers don’t depend on my own ability to pray but on Jesus. Please, pause to listen to the song. The words pointed me to the truth—that I am not on my own, that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and He is the one holding my aunt now. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 ESV) Even when our faith is floundering, Jesus intercedes for us. Jesus, the Son of God, after His death, resurrection, and ascension, was seated at the right hand of the Father on high. When we suffer trials and temptations, God the Son intercedes on our behalf before the Father. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 ESV)
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