Day 16

Day 16 of Your Journey
Our "Default" Prayer

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but . . . the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27 ESV).

Perhaps the greatest challenge to prayer is praying according to God’s will. Paul acknowledges in these verses that sometimes we just don’t know what to pray for. Our understanding can be clouded in the midst of our circumstances.

Sometimes this is because of ignorance or lack of biblical knowledge. At other times our immaturity or our own emotions and desires confuse us. We look into the fog and see nothing that makes sense.

At these moments the Spirit is present to aid us. One of His jobs is to intercede on our behalf according to the Father’s will.

The Spirit is one with the Father. He knows the Father’s desire and heart perfectly. He will faithfully guide us toward God’s plan.

Our responsibility in uncertainty is always to return to what should be our “default” prayer. This is the prayer of Jesus in John 12:28, “Father, glorify your name.”

When we are uncertain what God is up to, the most important thing we can do is remember that life’s primary goal is for God to be glorified as He should be.

Making It Personal

Think of some specific circumstances that seem to be unresolved in your life. Take a moment to simply pray, “God, in this circumstance, glorify Your name.”