Monday, February 16, 2015

Romans 8:26-27
26 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. 27 And God, who searches the heart,
knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the
will of God.

A man sits in the waiting room of a hospital, waiting for word on his wife. He tries to pray
but cannot find the words to say. He sighs, and the air is expelled from his lungs. He waits a
moment, an eternity, waiting to see if his breath will continueand inhales.
A woman sits in her home watching her mother or father as they struggle with dementia or
Alzheimers and she prays for some source of hope or release for their sake, but cannot find the words. She sighs,
and her breath is still. She waits a moment, an eternity, not knowing if her next breath will comeas a sob triggers
her lungs to function.
A couple waits helplessly as their child struggles to survive. Although they are together, they are alone in their
sorrow and despair. Both search for words to comfort each other and to plead for their childs life. They sigh, and
hold back their tears. They wait a moment, an eternity, breathlessly waiting for their lungs to work againand they
breathe.
A family sits in the cold after being evicted from their home. The children are crying and they have nowhere to turn.
The parents sigh, and look to God for answers. They wait a moment, an eternity, but the frozen air will not
comeand then does.
A nation sits and watches in horror as two towers fall, turning their world upside down. The people sigh in their
grief and fear and pray. They wait a moment, an eternity, as they breathlessly await a return to their normal lives.
But normal functions like respiration have ceasedand as suddenly they resume.
A man sits praying in a garden, knowing his fate and feeling alone as all of his friends have deserted him in his hour
of need. He prays that his fate be altered, that the cup be removed from his lips even while knowing it cannot. He
sighs, waiting a moment, an eternityhe stands up, breathes, and prepares himself to obediently face his destiny.
How often do we not know how to pray or what to ask for in moments of crisis? Even in the darkest hour God
provides us with the wherewithal in the Holy Spirit to know and understand our deepest fears and grief, and to
bring us renewed hope as we breathe in again to be able to continue on. He gives us the strength and ability to not
only meet these trials, but also to go forward as his surrogate to help others meet theirs. We have opportunities to
do this within our own congregation by supporting South Oakland Shelter, Troy People Concerned, the programs
sponsored by the Metro Coalition of Churches and the Graceful Shepherds.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your gift of the Holy Spirit to intercede for us when we are in grief and silent
desperation. We thank you also for friends and family who provide support and love in our times of pain and
suffering. We thank you as well for using us in this world to spread your love, care and concern to those who so
desperately need it.
Dave Potter