Person & Work of the Holy Spirit

So we are on less than 12. Does everybody have less than 12? Yeah. Less than 12. And I don't know if we have any more. Yeah. OK. And tell you what we'll give you. Do we have. Oh, here. So what was the question I left you last week? You're supposed to be pontificating upon this all week long, so you come with great knowledge and study on the question that I had. Why do we pray, right? Yeah, or what is the purpose of prayer? Oh man, that was a nice memory check. That was.

All the rest of you were concerned about the Miami Heat and the championship games or the U.S. Open or something else, right? So, don't all speak at once. Okay. Thank you, Monique. That was not something I wanted an amen to. Didn't your mic sound a little weird? Well, I'll talk to my. Is it too loud? It's great. It's breaking up. It's good. Nikki, you might be too high. No, I think it's great. Well, hopefully Nick will be down here once he hears that.

So Steve, a couple of weeks ago, Mike posed a question that we thought that the speed in the class was good and I voted yes. But after this week, a bunch of other questions popped into my mind, so I didn't get to this class, this lesson. So I'm going to change my vote. Lace-breaking vote on the speed of the class.

Yeah, that's why sometimes, like last week, I went over review because, you know, sometimes we are so focused on a little topic and we inch through this, which is good. We're very detailed. But then after you've inched through the forest, have you seen the forest? And so I kind of want, you know, last week to go back. And that's why I missed this week.

Just trying to see what prayer is. Why do we pray? Because this is about the Holy Spirit in prayer. So what is the purpose of prayer? I'm not trying to answer. None of you are answering this question. Number five, last week I never got an answer to if there is no understanding in our prayers, what could there be? I think that kind of fits with... Is that for this week? We haven't got to that. We're just starting 12 this week. So you're way ahead. We're not even to question 1. Alright, I'm sorry. So after all this, you don't know why you pray? Nobody knows how to pray. We just went through prayer and prayer requests and nobody knows why we pray. No, but isn't it wonderful because it makes us realize how dependent we are on God.

Okay, through prayer? I think so. Okay. And it's relationship. Relationship. And just communion. Fellowship and praise and needs. Fellowship, prayer, needs. Communion. Good, you're now kind of getting it. After just asking for prayer requests and praying, we don't know why we do that. I mean, so are the others. Any other thoughts in Scripture to back it up? Nobody has that. Well, we're in first Thessalonians 517.

Paul says pray without ceasing. So, which I was going to bring up actually just as an aside. So pray without ceasing. So during this class are you praying? Yeah, but you'll stay on topic. I mean when you're driving down the highway in traffic at 75 miles an hour on I-25, well not I-25, 65 miles an hour on I-25 downtown, you're praying, right? Actually you probably are praying at that point. If I'm praying and you're in the past, you're really praying. You can pray anywhere. But the praying without ceasing, does that mean 24-7 you don't do anything else? No. I think that helps us define the purpose of the prayer.

It's a relational quality. I may not every second of the day be talking to Jessica, either or else the marriage is flat. I guess if I put it that way, I would use that example. So what if you had a marriage and you never talked to your wife? You should get divorced. What if he didn't talk to your wife?

What kind of relationship would you have? Zip. I mean, if you never talk to your wife or very, very, very infrequently you talk to your wife, your relationship would be what? Nothing. Would you know very much about your wife? No. No, you wouldn't know anything about her or what her needs are or what she's thinking or what she's thinking about you. Nothing. If you're not talking to your wife in that example.

I was going to say communication is the greatest bridge between we people and I suppose it is with God also. The biggest thing I think, and we'll get to a bunch of verses here, but mine is the intimacy and communion. Basically through the marriage, if you use that, if you never spoke to your wife, you wouldn't have a relationship. If you never talk to him or never have a relationship with him, what kind of relationship do you have? He'll fool on to you, but if you're not talking to him, that's if in the marriage. If I'm always talking to my wife, but my wife never talks to me. You wouldn't have any relationship at all with him.

Exactly. So again, this to me is this relationship. It's intimacy. It's communion with God. And that's what he's allowed. And to pray without ceasing. I like that because that just tells me anytime, anywhere, anyplace. It doesn't have to be on Sunday when I ask a prayer request. It's anytime, anyplace, all the time. Are you okay with that? They said it was scratchy. Yeah, I'll turn it down a little bit upstairs. Okay. So, I think it's a university.

Remember as I went over Acts 2.42? Because we were called out to what? Teaching, prayer, breaking the bread, and fellowship. Those are the four things that the early church was doing or I think is a model or a pattern for the new church that just began after Pentecost. And part of that was prayer. An important part of that was prayer. Plus it also shows that you're going to the right source.

If you were married and worried about something and instead of going to your spouse or talking about it, you talked about it to the neighbor or something. It kind of just shows you don't know who you're going to. The relationship, you don't go talk to your neighbor about your spouse. or even any concerns.

Or it would be like idols. Instead of just going to God, you went to a wooden statue or something. Or tarot cards or something. Or that big flat screen on the wall. Google it. Isn't that the answer to everything? Google. A couple of the verses I picked out for some of the purposes of Prayer Y is 1 Timothy 2, 1-8. And I'll read that.

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth? For it is one God and one mediator, also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am telling the truth. I am not lying. As a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth, therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension. So, Paul thought it was a pretty important thing.

And again, we pray on behalf of all men, rulers, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life. And what? He says this is a good and acceptable insight of God. So God wants us to come to Him. It's good and acceptable for us to pray. It's not something we just do because. Actually, God the Father wants us to do that. So, we also look at Philippians 4, 4-7. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And what? And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Again, think about that. Let everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. What? And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts. So, think about that in prayer. Do you think about that?

That you get the peace of God when you pray? And it will guard your heart? Again, and I always love this one too, an everything prayer. Through my Christian walk, a lot of times it's like, I'll pray about, you know, somebody has cancer. God pray about that.

But the little thing, that little irritating thing, that's too little for God. That's too little for him to be bugged about. Is there anything too little for him? No, definitely not. And a lot of times, I just won't bother God with that, because it's just too small. It's never too small. What about too big? Nothing's too big. So everything, micro to macro, can be brought to God.

And I always think about that, because a lot of times we just say, I don't want to bother God with that. He's busy. He's too busy to be bothered by this little thing. And it's not, and we'll get into the lesson, but I think it's important, as when I asked about prayer and nobody answered what prayer was, that we go over this a little bit before we get into what the Holy Spirit does, which gives us more comfort in his part in prayer. But I think that's real important that you realize that it's in everything. Nothing's too small, nothing's too big. And at all times, you can pray.

I think it's some of the arrow prayers. Look in the Bible. They are in the midst of the trial and they pray. That's what I call an arrow prayer. Right in the middle. Sheesh, Lord, please. We're in the midst of the trial and I do that. Or when we're calm and we're here and we have a prayer.

That's more not what I call an arrow prayer. To me, the important thing about the Pray Without Ceasing is that it's an attitude that I have that is always aware of God. He's my foundation. Without it, I am adrift, in panic, whatever else. That's the verse, peace. If you pray, you have peace. Because you're always in communication with Him.

So in the midst of the trial, again, you're praying, but understanding that he's in control. I've gone through this several times, you know, the James, consider it all joy. How do you do that in trials? Well, if you know you can't be separated from his love, you know he's sovereign, he's in control, and whatever's happening in your life, he's doing it for a purpose, he's in control, and he's doing it in love, in the midst of the trial, you can't consider it all joy. I mean, it still hurts and you still go through trials, but there's a peace in that trial that non-believers can't have.

They cannot have that. And I think about that when some of these things go down. Man, if I'm not a believer, I don't know how I'd handle some of the things that go on. But if I know that God is in control, even in some of these, you know, the Black Forest, 419 homes gone.

But God has a purpose in that. You're in the midst of that and God spared one house and not the other. He's using it all for His purposes. And I rest in that fact. And He may be drawing a lot of people to Himself through that. And people who are believers, maybe He's taking away all that worldly stuff so they only can depend on Him.

I don't know why, I don't understand, but I just rest in this one about that in the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart. That's in prayer. I have a short rabbit trail. I'll get the gun out and shoot the rabbit if it gets too far out. One of the verses that you read said lift up your holy hands to God. I guess some people take that literally. Yeah.

And it kind of seems like sometimes when people are doing that, that if you're not doing that too, then I guess it's just a human thing. It's personal, I think. Well, it doesn't seem personal when everyone's doing it. Well, I mean, it's personal to you whether you do it or not. Yeah, I see.

And I don't think there's anything that, if I'm not raising my hands, this is a null and void prayer. As we'll get into what the Holy Spirit does in our prayers anyway, It doesn't matter whether I'm lifting holy hands or not. Whether this is good, this is half good, this is no good. I don't know how that works.

The problem is that we read that there's a Jewish cultural tradition of praying with your hands in the air, crying out to God. Paul's focus is on the holiness, the idea that you're sanctified and set apart and that your heart's in the right place. modern cultural things were like, oh there's a command in the Bible you better raise your hands. Yeah, it's not a command that you have to be, you know, or kneeling.

Or have, what about your eyes closed? I have a prayer closet. I had it built. Yeah, special prayer closet. I mean, does it say that you have to have your eyes closed when you pray? No. You know, that's really weird. Although, it does help with distractions. It keeps from distractions.

But you don't have to, nor kneeling. You have to kneel when you pray. I guess I wasn't on my knees when I was praying up here. If you pray unceasingly, then you'd always be on your knees. That's right. You'd never be up. God doesn't really care whether you're sitting, sleeping.

It's the attitude of your heart and the relationship you have with him. And actually what we're going to get into is the Holy Spirit part of this, which is critically important. Do you suppose for some people it's like surrender, you know, when you're giving up, surrender? Or they just read that verse and raising holy hands and that's what they want to do.

I don't mind. It's fine. But it's not a commandment. So there's just a lot of things that again are like praying with your eyes closed. That mainly is the focus. We do that just to focus so you're doing that. I'll get into it right now because this is one of the things.

I came out of the Brethren Church years ago. And one of the things we had was, which I really liked and missed leaving that, was we had the Lord's table every week. And we had basically an hour, and again, there's no commandment on how you're to meet or anything like that, but we'd meet and it was an hour, just dedicated communion with the Lord. And we'd have the Lord's table each time, but it would just be prayer and singing, and just focusing on the Lord in prayer and that. I remember when I was a young believer, and these older gentlemen would get up and pray. And I was just, oh, man.

And then I'd think, I can't get up and pray, I can't compete with them. What are you thinking, you idiot? This is not a competition. What is prayer? It's just communion with the Lord. Communication with Him. It's not that I'm competing with A, B, and C and that I've got a little bit more eloquent prayer than he does. God's going to smile on me, he's going to take my prayer request over his. Or his praise over his. How stupid was I? When I finally realized that, that this is just intimate communication with God. Intimate. It's not a competition.

I go back to the Abba Fathers, I go back to those verses quite a bit, that we're to cry out Abba Father, which means Daddy. Did you go to your dad every time when you wanted to talk to him? No. Please, oh great father, let me bring my request before thou. I didn't do that. I spoke with him just like I'm speaking with you.

And so I finally got to where relaxing in prayer is just talking with God the father who wants you to pray to him. It's just talking to daddy. He just happens to be the God of the universe, which is awesome that we have that ability to talk to the God of the universe and call him Daddy. We have that much intimacy with him. But it's not a competition. It's not how eloquent you sound. He just wants communication. He wants intimacy with you. That's in prayer. That's what we do. I'll get on a couple more verses.

Ephesians 3.14-21 For this reason I bow my knee before the Father, praying, for whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up You may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly, beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. To know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, And then now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.

So when you ask something, he's got 29 gazillion things more than what you ask. Yeah, make it big. You can't make it bigger than what he has. Beyond all we ask or think. Put that in perspective when you pray. Remember what I said about big or little? No matter how big you think your prayer request is, He's got bigger and better. More. Abundantly. Beyond all that we can ask or think. So put that down when you think about prayer.

1 Peter 3.12, I like this.

For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayers. So when you think your prayer bounces off the ceiling, is he listening? And we'll see who brings it to him as we're getting to what the Holy Spirit is. But again, for the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer. Wow. When you pray, his ears attend to your prayer. Awesome.

And again, when we get into what the Holy Spirit does. I'd also urge you to look at John 17. That's one of my favorite passages about the intimacy between Christ and God the Father. The intimacy of His communion or His communication with God the Father. It's incredible. Just look at how His prayer is.

And again, as an example of that communication. And again, remember our identification, we're placed into Him. So we can have that same community. And he looked in John 17 and he says we have that union with him. We have the relationship. He wants a relationship between the Father and the Son. We have that same relationship. He asked for that. He prayed for that.

So we have that relationship, that intimacy with God. So prayer is an amazing thing. So I'll just close with one last one. 1 John 3, 21 and 22. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God and whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is one, whatever we ask. Last night I asked for a Ferrari.

It wasn't in my driveway this morning. So what happened? Be patient. Be patient. I like that. I like that. Tomorrow, Lori, it'll be in my driveway. Because it's material stuff. It's not important. Place your eyes on God, not a Ferrari. So you can never ask for a material thing? Well, no. It's nice to have, but it's not the most important thing. It's not a priority. It all depends on, like what Mike says, what controls you. Is a Ferrari controlling you? Yeah, I mean mastery, but it says everything, bring everything before him. I want a Ferrari.

So what's wrong with that? You got a foreign. His answer might be no. I guess I would never pray for something like that. You don't need it. Yeah, just what Monique said, you know, if you're praying in the spirit, you're probably not praying for a Ferrari. You know, I mean, if you're You know what I mean.

Any others? Or you might get it and then wreck it. Or a lesson. See? He'll give it to you and you can't afford the insurance on it. You know, again, this is going to get into what the Holy Spirit does. And again, I think it's praying in accordance with whose will? His will. God's will. You know, is the Ferrari the best thing for me? No. In his eyes? Obviously not right now. If it was, I'd have a Ferrari in my driveway.

But again, it's the love that he has for us, and in trials and blessings, it's what draws us to him, conforms us to him, so we're dependent upon him. He blesses us. There are amazing blessings in my life. Amazing blessings. And I'm thankful for that. I've also had a lot of trials. I'm thankful for that too. The trials is when the rubber hits the road. Am I depending on him or not? I'm in constant prayer. I think I've told Mike and some of you guys. In my business, I go and I put a proposal out and I get a big project and they give me the contract.

And I go driving down the road thinking, how special am I? Awesome! Awesome! About 10 miles down the road I finally figure out, oh thank you Lord. And it's through Him, it's through God doing that, not me. I mean, I was a part, but God allowed it. And I thank Him.

I call it the Nebuchadnezzar Syndrome. Where Nebuchadnezzar is out on his palace and he looks out and how great and wonderful and all that. And he's suddenly eating with the beast of the field. He's eating grass. I always think of that. When I think what a great project guy I am. I got that great project. Suddenly I'm driving by cattle or something and I suddenly realize what a great project I am. It's a good thing you live in Parker, huh? Yeah, I thought so.

Again, whatever you ask, as Wayne said, the answer may be No. And are you at peace with that? Do you understand that? The best thing for you is the answer, no. So we have to be as if anything, come to him with anything, but accept his answer. And that's the hard part.

You know, when we pray for people who have illnesses, you know, I think this used to be with Michael. I think nobody ever asks for a prayer request, because why are you asking? Get them out of that circumstance. Why are you asking? Maybe the Lord wants you in that circumstance. Well, that's true. I mean, our request is that if Lord, if that's your will, just give them peace and strength through that trial.

Like Paul and Thessalonians. I keep thinking of that. I mean, shipwreck, stone, all the things Paul went through. He went through that. Did he pray all the time, Lord, at the end, gee, I wish I hadn't done that, do you, oh. He went through it, he understood the trials he was going through.

So again, when we pray, we pray that God will use those circumstances for his purposes. If somebody has burned, you need a great grandson burned, why? I don't understand. I pray that he'll be using for his purposes, that he may come to know the Lord or somebody around him, depending on if he knows the Lord.

I think he does, I think he said that. Or he uses those circumstances to draw. He's using all these things. And just be at that peace knowing that he's in control. It's awesome. I think as we grow in the Lord, the Lord changes our attitude about prayer and how we pray so that it's one of those things where We can pray a big prayer.

I'm not saying Ferraris, but sometimes things that feel like they're monumental. But we know that we trust the Lord's wisdom. And it makes it a lot easier so that the no or the wait kind of answers are things where it's like, wow, this is the God that's worked everything so far in my life this way. And why wouldn't I just trust his faithfulness? And I've got a personal example.

We've been praying some things in the business. Big things over here and praying specifically for that and saying, Lord, if that's what you want, or show us something different. And I said, this way... Ingrid and I prayed about it, and it's like, oh yeah, Lord, this is the direction, this is the direction.

Out of left field comes this other thing. Wow! The answer to our prayer But completely different. And I'm thankful. Because if I'd probably gone that way, it's the wrong direction. But he completely, I mean it was, we were both sitting there going, are you kidding me? This is unbelievable answered prayer, completely different from what we talked about, or prayed about. Prayer is an amazing thing.

Just do it all the time. It's the communication, like I said, the husband and wife. If you never talk to your wife, what kind of relationship do you have? Just talk. It's an intimate communication. It doesn't have to be a formal for thou art. It's just talking to daddy. Put it in that perspective. Talking to daddy.

But Paul prayed that his, whatever his thorn, that that would be removed. And then he said, he found that, what, I've forgotten exactly, that in his weakness he was strong. Exactly. He realized that, you know, in weakness he had power. Through what? Through Christ.

And again, the answer was no. And you're okay with that. I mean, I wish I was six foot five. So I mean, there are things that you can ask for and he just says no. And that's perfectly alright because the piece goes back to he loves you and he can't be separated. So what you are asking is not the best thing for you.

Something that's kind of comforting is that, like, when you think about the Apostle Paul, and he's always saying, we're praying for you all the time. God knows that we're always praying for you. And some horrible, humanly speaking, things happen to him. And so it kind of helps us realize that we could have crazy stuff going on in our lives, And, you know, if Paul was who he was, wrote half the New Testament and all that, we're going to have similar issues. Oh yeah. That are okay. Yeah, I mean, just understand again the thing is that God is sovereignly in control. All that he's allowing whatever to happen to you. Okay, I understand that.

But then if you latch that to the can't be separated from his love, So whatever trial I'm going through, it's meant in love to do what? To draw me to him. To get that fellowship closer and just more intimate with him. To be conformed to his image. So whatever goes on in blessings or trial, if you understand that, you then have that peace that surpasses all understanding. The big things are little things. Both in blessings and in trials. We will actually attack the questions and I think we can get through lots of them pretty quick.

Alright, now question set 12. Question 1. Are there instances in scripture where the believer prays to the Holy Spirit? No. Okay, that is correct. Number 2. What is the reason for this? The Holy Spirit is here in us. In us? But we couldn't talk to the Holy Spirit? Because the Holy Spirit always directs us to look at Christ, right? I mean, we're not praying to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit praying with us or through us. We'll get through it in question three, but...

He's the one guiding our prayers. Yes. He is in our prayers. He's the power for all service, prayer and praise, but not the object. We couldn't do them. We'll get into the ways in the next question, but right out I had a pretty good answer for this. He says that He is divine as God. We saw that at the outset.

And yet He is never addressing prayer. Now there is a divine reason for this which is clear and beautiful once you see it. The Spirit is here as to his work. He is in us. He forms and guides our prayers. He is in them and therefore they are not addressed to him. Once this fact is grasped, we will see the unscripturalness of addressing the Holy Spirit. He is the one who, as it were, is speaking in us. Let it not be thought for a moment that it degrades this blessed holy one.

We know he is divine, is omnipresent. We know when we address God, he is God. But I speak of his distinctive place and work in this present dispensation. He dwells in the church and in the believer. He is the power for all service, prayer, and praise, but not the object.

I think that was a pretty good summary of why we don't pray to the Holy Spirit. Any other comments? Otherwise, we'll move on to the question three, which I think is one of the more powerful verses in relation to the Holy Spirit and prayer. In question three, read Romans 8, 26 through 27. And then the question is, what is the Holy Spirit's job down here when it comes to prayer? And what is the Lord Jesus' job when it comes to prayer? So Romans 8, 26 and 27.

In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. So, first, what is the Holy Spirit's job down here when it comes to prayer? To intercede. To intercede. So what does that mean? Oh. Intercede.

Block for us? I think it's in directing our prayers to appropriate things or people, whatever. OK, so when I prayed for the Ferrari last night, that's right, it didn't get all the way up. So that one day, we're going to have to get anywhere. Yes. Sometimes I think it's a matter of where he brings us as far as our reliance on the spirit. But the Spirit is the power. Sometimes when we're praying for a fry or other things in our lives, we can maybe have good motives, but we're trying to do things more in the self, strength. A lot of times God will bring us back around to relying on the power of the Spirit to accomplish His work through us rather than us accomplish His work.

I think that's part, I think in the verse it tells us two important things. The spirit also helps our weakness, so we have a weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, i.e. praying for the Ferrari last night. I mean, I guess I could have, and I can ask, the other verse, I can ask anything in prayer, everything, bringing, everything. But the last part is what I think is the key part in verse 27.

Because he intercedes for the saints according to what? The will of God. So when I pray, if it's the will of God for me to have a Ferrari, I'll have a Ferrari. But if it's not, if I'm not praying according to the will of God, then do you think it's going to happen?

And then that part that says the spirit makes intercession according to God who understands our inarticulate groanings. Works fail under the pressure of a groaning creation in which we live and have been made mute. Something I can't read. And all of that kind of mixture there of ourselves and the creation which is groaning. Well the spirit himself intercedes with groanings too deep for words.

Right. And God understands our inarticulate groanings it says. But is the spirit supposed to be interpreting that for God? And that's the interceding. And he intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. So that's his purpose, the interceding. Between us, he takes our prayers and intercedes the communication to the Father.

And again, it's kind of interesting, we'll get into it. The model is, are we praying to Christ or to God? God. We're praying to God in the name of Christ. We're praying to the Father. The pattern is praying to God in the name of the Son. By the power of the Spirit.

One of the problems I've always had with these two verses is that there's a mindset then I'm jabbering on about whatever I want, a Ferrari. And somehow it goes through the Google translator, the Holy Spirit, and so that it ends up in God's ears so that he can understand what I'm talking about.

But I don't think that's the focus at all. I think that the ignorant one here is the believer. He's the one that does not have a clue in the circumstances of what God's will is and can't pray because he doesn't know. So the spirit, the intercession is towards me, not from me.

Yes. It's the spirit of God who has searched the mind of the Father has come to me and said, this is God's will regarding you. You are now being informed so that you can pray properly. I think it's kind of both ways. I mean, I see that, but I also see it both ways in that because it says we're weak. Yeah, we don't know what to do. We don't know what to do. Yeah. I mean, it tells us we don't know what to do. That's right.

But the last part, and that's what I like, it's the will of God. And I think that's part of the growing process, is I want the Ferrari. It's like, okay, in time I understand, that's not God's will. I mean, I can't ask for it, I am free to ask for that. But I'm weak if I'm not understanding that that may not be God's will for me. And as you grow, it's definitely not God's will for you, so the Ferrari gets parked.

Yeah, exactly. So I think it's both ways. I think we're allowed to do this because we're weak. And so the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and then shows us the will of God. No. And why? It's really interesting because within two more verses, Paul's going to tell you that God's specific purpose for the believer is to be conformed to the image of Christ. Now that's news to a believer who's coming down through Romans, that what God is up to is this conformity process and not only that, that he works all things together for that goal. And so therein lies the change of mindset that the Spirit of God implements in the believer so that he recognizes what God's up to. Because he's the one that's ignorant. God isn't ignorant about what's going on.

No. And I think as you mature and you understand these things, I think the communication is much more in line with God's will and that's that peace. Because you know, I'm asking for this, but I understand the answer could be no, yes, maybe, wait, patience, whatever. It can be anything, because I understand that he's in control. And you have that peace that surpasses all understanding. It all fits. I was just thinking it's the Holy Spirit that makes that pray without ceasing possible on our part. It's through Him. Otherwise we wouldn't be in that communication mode all the time. Right. Did we answer what intercession is? What? Did we answer? You asked the question, what is intercession? Did we answer that? No. What is intercession? Is that blocking? Is that a Google translator? Relating. Relating something to something else?

To somebody else? On behalf of. Communicating on your behalf. Yeah. But that's my question. On whose behalf is he communicating? Mine or God's? Yeah, and it's both ways. And it's not a Google translator. It is, you know, him taking our prayers. But it's not, well, the answer back is no. But in that no is, I think the communication back from God is for us to grow in our relationship with Him. So it's taking our prayers and groaning is too deep for words. And then that I think is on the way back. The response from the Holy Spirit back is that groaning is too deep for words.

Yeah, and I think that Paul's prayer about the thorn in the flesh three times he goes to God about it, and not because Paul was dense, but to come to the realization that Paul's real strength in Christ was perpetuated by his own personal weakness, was an educational process that intercessory from God to him, had to explain to him what was going on. Yeah, in time. And as soon as he got it, he said, oh well I'm alright with that. Yeah, I see in my weakness, I have strength.

Many, many years ago, I didn't have the money to buy groceries for my kids. I was angry at God. I said, why should you care? You don't need to worry about eating today. But I'll tell you what, He saw us through. He really saw us through. And even those trials, I think it forces your dependence on Him. I think about these people who lost their houses. All the worldly possession is gone. Are you okay with that? If you're there. If you're a believer. God where were you? Did you say oops? Did you miss my house? For putting your hand protecting over my house you missed that? Now the Lord is out there in the backyard with the man. all think rubbish. Maybe those people whose houses burned down are good Christians. They were praying for a beautiful home.

Is this your source of happiness? If you think this is your source of happiness, maybe it's a trial to find out that that isn't. I use the example, and I think I'm getting worried. You hear the stories. You can use a Titanic or an airplane. Sorry, Debbie. If a plane goes down, and I was supposed to be on that plane and I got stuck in traffic and I missed the plane. Man, the Lord showed me and He spared me.

How special am I? How are you? What about the people on the plane? What about the persons on the plane? Is he not like them? But our natural reaction is to say, oh, you missed the plane, what a special. I'm no different if I miss that plane than the person on the plane. It's a matter of God's love. We tend to go, oh God, you're a special. You missed that. God had you stuck in traffic and you missed it. You're special. What about all the Christians on the plane? The believers on the plane? Did he not love them every bit as much as he loved me? I think Mike's answer is right. The game is to die. You go home. You're home.

So we have this kind of like equity in how God answers things. So quickly, we're over? We'll keep it and hopefully hit it next week. Oh, and question sheet 13, I think we can get through the rest of the questions really quickly next time. Good discussions. All right, let's close.

Heavenly Father, we thank you. Thank you for this time as we understand prayer and what a joy and a privilege that is to come before you anytime, anywhere, anyplace and with anything. We thank you for that opportunity, the intimacy that we have with that. And we don't have to put it in flowery words or anything. It's just talking with you, God. And we thank you that you desire to have us pray and come before you.

And Father, we just rest in the fact that whatever we ask, we will get the answer in accordance with your will. Just give us the understanding in our heart that it can be yes, no, maybe, in any range of answers. and yet you still love us. No matter what the answer is, you love us and your desire is to draw us closer and closer to you in that intimate relationship and just our realization of our total dependence on you. So Father, we thank you for the communication that we can have with you and what a privilege that is, what an awesome thing that is to be able to come anytime, anyplace with our request.

Father, just give us the peace of understanding your answers. Father, we thank you for the Holy Spirit who takes our prayers and intercedes for us. Father, we just thank you now for this time. We pray upstairs for Vern as he gives the message. Just prepare our hearts to receive it. Father, we give you thanks for this time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.