Helped by the Spirit

I have a little book which is great encouragement for the soul. It is called “Children’s Letters to God.”

Throughout this little book, are honest and earnest prayers actually written by children in their own hand-writing. I cherish the way that these prayers reveal the struggles that we all have on the walk of faith.

Here are just two of the prayers from my little book:

“Dear God, I wrote to you before, do you remember? Well, I did what I promised but you did not send the horse yet! What about it! – Lewis.”

“Dear God, what is it like when you die. Nobody will tell me. I just want to know. I don’t want to do it. Your friend, Mike.”

Children have this way of often just “blurting out” what is going on in their soul. Our gracious God, for Christ’s sake, promises to listen to these prayers and to all our prayers, just as a loving father listens to the prayers of the little child.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul calls those who are baptised into Christ, “children” who call out to their eternal heavenly Father, crying “Abba! Father!” He writes,

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. …Likewise 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.” Romans 8.

This scripture passage is a profound promise in the midst of this unusual season of history we find ourselves in throughout the pandemic months of 2020. People are struggling. Things are continually uncertain. Many find themselves in an unusual limbo, even for the soul. Familiar things are not the way they were.

The Apostle Paul is writing, “Don’t be afraid.” The promise of Romans is that the Spirit helps us in our weakness, especially in our praying. This is an invitation to blurt your soul in prayer to your loving heavenly Father. God’s listening ear is a one certain constant we can hold onto, during these strange times.

Psalm 86: “In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.”

In Christ,

Paul