When you don’t know how you ought to pray

“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. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Rom. 8:26-27 NIV)

The Spirit Himself intercedes for us

Sometimes we are confused, in pain, or emotionally distraught. Sometimes it’s because we don’t know all the facts surrounding a particular situation. But, this passage of scripture acknowledges that problem with a great promise: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us… And, He, who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

In other words, God searches our hearts and repairs our prayers 

God understands the situation perfectly, and knows what we SHOULD be praying for. He then turns whatever prayer we are attempting to pray into the perfect prayer that we SHOULD be praying! HE KNOWS all the facts of the situation and fixes our prayers for us “in accordance to the will of God.” Wow, what a promise. God turns our ordinary prayers into perfect ones! This takes a lot of pressure off!

By the way, a poem I have enjoyed reading over the years is about the proper way to pray. It is funny and makes a valid point. Enjoy!

The Prayer of Cyrus Brown

By Sam Walter Foss (Public Domain)

“The proper way for a man to pray,”

Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,                                            

 “And the only proper attitude Is down upon his knees.”

“No, I should say the way to pray,”

Said Reverend Doctor Wise,                                                   

  “Is standing straight with outstretched arms,

And rapt and upturned eyes.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” said Elder Slow,

“Such posture is too proud.                                                      

A man should pray with eyes fast-closed,

And head contritely bowed.”

“It seems to me his hand should be

Austerely clasped in front,                                                      

With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,

”Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

“Well, I pray while resting every day,”

Said Mr. Henry Pack.       

 “So I should think you say your prayers

While lying on your back.”

“Last year I fell in Murphy’s well — Headfirst,”

said Cyrus Brown.                                               

“With both my knees a’stickin’ up,

And my head a’pointin’ down.”

“And I made a prayer right then and there,

The best prayer I ever said,                                    

  The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,

A’standing on my head.”

Therefore…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4.6 ESV)

“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” (1 Cor. 14:15 ESV)

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 ESV)

“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” (Eph. 6:18 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, pray, when you don’t know how to pray, prayer of cyrus brown
The day God ran!

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20 NIV)

The Parable of the Lost Son – and/or the day God ran! (Luke 15:11-24)

This is a wonderful parable that Jesus told about a son who asked his father for his inheritance. He then departed for foreign lands where he squandered his money on wild living until it was all gone. Finally, after losing everything including all his friends, he became so desperate that he took a job feeding pigs and he was so hungry that he was tempted to eat the pig slop. He then came to his senses, changed his attitude, realized his sinfulness towards his father, and decided to go home. He planned to ask his father for a servant’s job.

But, according to the story, his father saw him a long way off, had great compassion for him, and ran towards his son with great joy!

God ran! And, that’s how God is towards us!

This parable is meant to teach us about God’s great love and compassion towards us. The young man in the story represents us, and the father in the story represents God. Notice that the father “saw the son afar off, and ran towards him.” God ran! And, that’s how God is towards us! He sees us “afar off, runs toward us, with great compassion!” Another verse says it this way, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8 NIV)

Here is another fun version of the prodigal son with a lot of letter F’s. Enjoy!

Feeling footloose and frisky,                                                                                                               a feather-brained fellow                                                                                                                     forced his fond father                                                                                                                       to fork over the farthings.

He then fled far to foreign fields                                                                                                                and frittered his fortune,                                                                                                                      feasting fabulously                                                                                                                       with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly,                                                                                                              and finally facing famine,                                                                                                                       he found himself                                                                                                                                                                                     a feed-flinger                                                                                                                                               in a filthy farmyard.

Feeling frail and fairly famished                                                                                                                 he fain would have filled his frame                                                                                                      with the foraged foods                                                                                                                               of farmyard fodder fragments.

‘Fooey’, he figured,                                                                                                                            ‘My father’s flunkies fare far finer.”                                                                                                          The frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly,                                                                                                   frankly facing facts.

Frustrated by failure                                                                                                                               and filled with foreboding,                                                                                                                            he forthwith fled the foreign farmyard,                                                                                                   back to his family.

From faraway, the father focused                                                                                                                              on the fretful familiar form on the horizon                                                                                                                                  and flew to him and fondly flung                                                                                                         his forearms around the fugitive.

Falling at his father’s feet, he floundered forlornly,                                                                           ‘Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor.’

But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching                                                                     frantically flagged a field hand.                                                                                                         ‘Fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast.’

The fugitive is found!                                                                                                                     “Unfurl the flags, with fanfares flaring!                                                                                               Let fun and frolic freely flow!”

“Former failure is forgotten,                                                                                                                   folly is forsaken!                                                                                                                                          And forgiveness forms the foundation                                                                                           for future fortitude.”

Therefore…

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isa. 55:7 ESV)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col. 3:13 ESV)

“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:21-22 ESV)

Quote:

“The difference between mercy and grace? Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance. Grace gave him a feast.” - Max Lucado

Mike Frenchbible promises, god ran, forgiveness, god forgives, prodigal, prodigal son
A prolonged life with peace and prosperity

“Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.” (Proverbs 3:1-2 NIV) 

Who wouldn’t want the three things that are is promised here? All wonderful promises. 

1.     Prolonged life for many years!

2.     Peace! 

3.     Prosperity! 

And how do you receive these things?

You keep the commands of the Lord in your heart! That’s it! And further great news is found in the following passage about keeping commands! Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be inside you and will help you do it!

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15-17 NIV)

Therefore…

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21 ESV)

“And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” (2 John 1:6 ESV)

Quote:

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” – Jesus Christ (John 14:3)

Mike Frenchbible promises, prolonged life, peace, prosperity
When fear attacks you, God answers and delivers you!

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 NIV)

Two Wonderful Things!

A very simple and powerful, answer for dealing with any fear is found in the above passage! When fear attacks, you must immediately seek the Lord! And then two wonderful things happen:

1) He ANSWERS you!

2) He DELIVERS you from all your fears!

Activated by faith!

Of course, this is an act of faith (all promises are faith activated! See Hebrews 4:2)

I heard this promise stated simply the following way:

Fear knocked, faith answered, and there was nobody there!

Therefore…

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, fear, panic, fear attack
Soar on wings like eagles through hope in the Lord!

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV)

Notice that this section of scripture, containing several promises, is about how to get help from God for many different types of people who may be weak, weary, or have stumbled and fallen.

How does the answer come?

It comes from “putting hope in the Lord!” This is not a difficult thing to do to receive such great benefits!

Here’s what you get when you place your hope in the Lord

 “Those who hope in the Lord will…

  • Renew their strength. 

  • They will soar on wings like eagles; 

  • They will run and not grow weary, 

  • They will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

Therefore…

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4 ESV)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13 ESV)

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,” (Psalm 146:5 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, soar on wings like eagles, hope in the lord
The Lord has gifts for you!

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Cor. 12:4-5 NIV)

When you become born again by receiving Christ, (John 1:12 & John 3:3) God gives you at least one spiritual gift, and sometimes several. (1 Cor. 12:11)

To help you and others!

These wonderful gifts are provided to help you grow in your relationship with God and to help you be effective in helping others, too.

You can find these gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:11.

God gives these gifts for a number of great reasons:

To equip His children for service. To build up His church. To bring unity in faith. To bring knowledge of Jesus. To bring spiritual maturity. And, to bring the whole measure of fullness in Christ. (1 Peter 4:10 and Eph. 4:11-12)

Therefore…

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you…” (2 Tim 1:6a NKJV)

You must “stir them up” and then put them to work, so both yourself and others can benefit from them!

Quote:

“Some people have a warped idea of living the Christian life. Seeing talented, successful Christians, they attempt to imitate them. For them, the grass on the other side of the fence is always greener. But when they discover that their own gifts are different or their contributions are more modest (or even invisible), they collapse in discouragement and overlook genuine opportunities that are open to them. They have forgotten that they are here to serve Christ, not themselves.“ - Billy Graham

Mike Frenchbible promises, spiritual gifts
Cast all your care upon God!

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV)

George Muller (1805-1898) built many orphanages at Ashley Down, England. Without a personal salary, he relied only on God to supply the money and food needed to support the hundreds of homeless children he befriended in the name of Christ. A man of radiant faith, he kept a motto on his desk for many years that brought comfort, strength, and uplifting confidence to his heart. It read, “It matters to Him about you.” Muller believed that those words captured the meaning of 1 Peter 5:7, and he rested his claim for divine help on that truth. He testified at the end of his life that the Lord had never failed to supply all his needs.

Cast “all” cares

Sometimes when a HUGE problem comes suddenly and unexpectedly, (this happens to everyone from time to time) you need to remind yourself of this great promise! “cast ‘all’ your care upon him!” This means every care, no matter how small or how big!

Where you will get the best results 

The word “cast” means to throw something in a specific direction. A fisherman casts where he believes he will get the best results. In the same way, our best results (solution) to any and all problems will always come from God! When you “cast” your care on him, He will help you! And, He even gives the reason why He will help you; “Because he cares for you!”

Therefore…

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10)

“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” (Isa. 41:13)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4) 

Quotes:

“God’s strength behind you, His concern for you, His love within you, and His arms beneath you are more than sufficient for the job ahead of you.” - William Arthur Ward

“The same everlasting Father who care for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it…” St. Francis de Sales

Mike Frenchbible promises, cast all your cares, god cares, cares, all
Open your eyes and see your glorious riches of inheritance

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” (Eph. 1:18 NIV)

You don’t know

It’s a problem that has been around for a long time and still is the same today! You don’t know what you don’t know! And if you could see into the spiritual world you would be astounded at what you would see!

Army of Angels!

There is a story in the Old Testament, that tells how the king was mad at the prophet Elisha, and sent his armies to attack him. When Elisha’s servant saw the armies coming he was afraid. But Elisha wasn’t concerned or alarmed because he knew something that his servant didn’t know. “And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17 NIV)

They were surrounded and protected

In the same say, our promise is saying “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” (Eph. 1:18 NIV)

Open your eyes 

You have so much readily available to you as a follower of Christ! Open your spiritual eyes and see!

“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Eph. 5:8 ESV)

Therefore…

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18 ESV)

“The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.” (Psalm 146:8 ESV)

“To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Psalm 26:18 ESV)

Quotes:

“We need a baptism of clear seeing. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist–Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy.”  A.W. Tozer

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” - Helen Keller

Mike Frenchbible promises, open eyes, see
Get your prayers answered!

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.” (1 Chron. 4:10 NIV)

This short, heartfelt prayer by an old testament man named Jabez, was answered positively by God.

Why God granted what Jabez was asking

First, he asked God! That’s right, he actually brought his request to God in prayer! Sadly, many don’t receive blessings from God simply because they don’t bother to ask Him! “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2 KJV) In order to receive from God, you must actually ask him!

Second, he “cried out to God” passionately. His prayer was sincere, heartfelt and genuine! God’s word says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16 KJV). The wonderful advantage we have as New Testament believers, is we are made righteous through the blood of Jesus!

Third, he was very specific and clear about what he wanted and asked God for. Because he asked clearly and specifically, God could answer clearly and specifically as well.  Unfortunately, many don’t ask that way. The Bible says, “Let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6b NKJV).

To recap (with one addition)

1) Pray!

2) Be genuine, passionate and sincere.

3) Be specific. Make it very clear what you are asking for.

4) Use Jesus’s Name. As New Testament followers of Jesus Christ who have been given the right to come “boldly to God.” (Heb 4:16), you must pray in Jesus’s Name! That seals it! And, that is another great promise you can thank God for!

Therefore…

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark. 11:24 ESV)

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7 ESV)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4.6 ESV)

“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.” (Rom. 8:26 ESV)

“Pray without ceasing,” (1 Thess. 5:17 ESV)

Quotes:

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – Jesus Christ (Luke 11:9 ESV)

“Prayer honors God, acknowledges His being, exalts His power, adores His providence, secures His aid.” - E.M. Bounds

“There is no need to get to a place of prayer; pray wherever you are.” - Oswald Chambers

Mike Frenchbible promises, jabez, prayer, prayer of jabez