DEVOTION – DAY 178

Rom.8:26 “Holy Spirit comes to our rescue”

Rom.8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

There are times in our lives when we are overwhelmed and heavy hearted. This happens when someone we are closed to have passed away. Or when we face a broken relationship and we part ways with someone. Or when something we have put a lot of effort into had been destroyed, as when our computer hard disk crashes and all our work for the last 5 years cannot be retrieved and we do not have a backup. In such times, we are numbed with shock and we are unable to think straight. But Rom.8:26 is so comforting for us because it teaches us that when our shocked and heavy heart renders us speechless and we are unable to think straight, God knows exactly how we feel and what we need. Even if we are unable to speak in clear words the depth of our shock and grief, the Holy Spirit in us takes over and communicates on our behalf to God, the Father. 

We know someone whose job required her to be mobile. She had to give presentations to clients and all her marketing proposals and costings were in her computer laptop. One day, her boss told her she had to give a presentation and proposal to a potential big customer and that the meeting was arranged for the following week. This woman worked hard over the weekend to create an impressive presentation and a competitive business proposal. She placed her laptop in the boot of her car. She then used her car to go somewhere. However, her car was broken into and her laptop was stolen. All her hard work was gone. She panicked and did not know what to do. She did not know how she was going to face the new potential customer. There wasn’t enough time to redo a presentation and proposal. She did not know how her boss would react if she were to tell him that her car was broken into and she had lost her laptop. Her worries bothered her a great deal and she wasn’t even able to think of what to pray to God. But God knew what was in her heart. The Holy Spirit interceded for her and she later calmed down. In the end, the potential customer understood that she had lost her laptop and that the presentation and proposal she showed was brief and simple but sufficient for them to give her company a fair chance to win the job.

Heavenly Father, you are so gracious. Even when we do not know what to pray because of trying circumstances, you have given us your Spirit who intercedes for us. Thank you for always coming to our aid. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Questions

• How have you experienced God’s peace when your world seems to crash around you? Share.
• How has the Lord turned things around for you when you were desperate and did not know what to do? How has the Lord given you peace? Share.
• How can you thank God for being there for you even as you were worried and helpless?