A couple weeks ago we heard a heart felt confession by St Paul that must have taken real courage. The good I want to do I do not do – the evil I do not want to do I keep on doing. That took a lot of courage and probably reflects most if not all Christians but sadly because of our pride we don’t like to present ourselves as less that perfect with our faults visible to others. We like to present ourselves as good people who try to do the right thing even though sometimes we might not get everything right. But evil – no. We would like to feel that we are a far cry from how Paul describes himself – wretched man that I am – who will save me from this body of death. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the worst of them.
And today I believe we seen another side of Paul that reflects many of us even though we might not like to admit it. That Paul seemed to know what it was like to struggle with prayer. Now that might sound strange for Paul – a person close to God even before his conversion to Christianity. A person who saw and spoke with the risen Lord Jesus on his way to Damascus. A man prepared to go to prison – even death – for the sake of his Christian faith. And yet, he says the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought. Notice he says – OUR weakness – WE do not know how to pray.
Again, I would say that prayer is another area where many, most, dare I say all, Christians feel they are challenged. Shouldn’t it be one of the easier tasks Christians to be able to do? I mean, it’s just talking to God, isn’t it? I’m guessing that many Pastors would be reluctant to admit that they too struggle in their prayer life because we are seen as symbols of faith. But in all honesty, I struggle like everyone else. And, according to Paul, it’s a weakness and we do not know how to pray as we ought.
Why is it a weakness and what makes it a weakness? Is it to do with the amount of time we spend in prayer?
Doesn’t Paul say to pray without ceasing? Or is it to do with the content of our prayers as James tells us? When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Do you feel guilty perhaps when someone asks you to pray for them or you say to someone “I’ll keep you in my prayers” and you don’t. I think these are perhaps symptoms but not what Paul is trying to help us understand. These are physical affects on our prayer life of a much deeper spiritual attack on our prayer life which falls under what we refer to as “Spiritual Warfare”
In warfare communication is vital. In relationships communication is vital. So, it’s no surprise that Satan will attack our communication with God. Communication with God is always under attack – whether it’s worship – which involves communication – Holy Communion which has the same root word – or the Communion of Saints where we gather together which has always been under attack as far back as the first churches which the writer to the Hebrews says: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. There is the Word of God communicating to us his word of Grace and forgiveness. But here Paul is particularly talking about our communicating with God in our prayer life.
But the Good News is that God is on the offensive in this spiritual warfare by sending in his own Holy Spirit as Paul says: The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints – you and me = according to the will of God.
How beautiful is that. Just like his wretched body of death and who will save me – Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord. So too here, God, through his Holy Spirit rescues us. And even the Holy Spirit knows the scars of battle in Spiritual Warfare: That very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
We must never underestimate the battle that wages around us. We cannot see it with our physical sight – just like Jacob couldn’t see the angels ascending and descending the ladder from heaven to earth. Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” John, in the Book of Revelation, saw the battle raging around us with the beast and the dragon waging war against God’s elect.
Should we be afraid? Definitely not because, as Paul says, What then are we to say about these things?
If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Despite the war being waged against God’s elect, Paul says we are protected. Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. So not only do we have the Holy Spirit praying on our behalf, we have Jesus Christ himself interceding for us.
Maybe your prayer life is far from perfect but that’s what Satan will use against you. He will make you feel guilty – inadequate – unworthy. He will condemn you but Paul reminds us that only God can condemn but it is God who makes us right through Jesus who died for us. Satan would like us to believe that because of our inadequate prayer life that God doesn’t love us. But again, nothing could be further from the truth. As Paul says: He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? And because of that assurance there is nothing that should make you feel separated from God; Nothing.
For neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. May God bless you as you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in your prayers and our Lord Jesus to comfort you as he intercedes with his Father and your Father in Heaven.
