Why She Walked Out Of Church

Mickey McLean at WORLDMAGBLOG writes about Julie R. Neidlinger’s response to a recent WORLD cover story on NextGen worship.  Neidlinger writes:

“The cover photo alone enraged me, with the pastor wearing baggy jeans and untucked button-up shirt with flip flops and an ear microphone. Later, the same guy is shown out front of a church holding a paper Starbucks-like cup of coffee. Could he try any harder to be lame?”

Read “Why She Walked Out Of Church” here. . . .

Lord, Please Help Me Pray!

The Bible teaches us about a special operation of the Holy Spirit, by which He assists his people in prayer. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27, ESV)

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us by dwelling in us and inclining and enabling us to pray. The Spirit makes intercession for us as He encourages us to seek God in prayer. Through His indwelling we are granted the grace to desire and ask for the blessings the Holy Spirit knows we need.

The careless sinner and cold professor of faith may believe that he can pray through his problems without the assistance of the Holy Spirit.  We do not know how to pray as we ought.  In this exercise of grace the Holy Spirit is indispensable.  He is the Spirit of supplication.

He prepares us to accept our absolute dependence on God.  Every believer should be willing to acknowledge his own ignorance on the subject of prayer.  We often do not know what is really good for us.

The Holy Spirit makes known to us the rich provision of grace which is found in Christ. The Holy Spirit makes known to us the blessings of redemption.  When we have vividly conceived of the blessings purchased by Christ for his people, we then begin to see how we should pray. The Holy Spirit assists us in supplication, by inclining us to seek the provisions of grace with persevering prayer.

The Spirit strengthens us through the lively exercise of prayer – which we must do to have communion with God. The Holy Spirit assists us in this exercise, by helping us in our weakness.  He either removes the roadblocks to prayer, or strengthens us to rise above them. The Holy Spirits helps to rid hindrances to our prayer life.

Prayer is a solemn exercise.  We are having something more than a friendly conversation with an acquaintance.  It is a time for reverence and fear.  It is a time to call on the Holy Spirit to help us as we approach the King of Kings.  Christ too, will be there as our advocate. The very words of Christ show that He will make every reasonable allowance for our weakness in prayer.