{"id":307171,"date":"2021-07-24T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-07-24T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-art-of-prayer-2\/"},"modified":"2021-07-24T07:00:05","modified_gmt":"2021-07-24T11:00:05","slug":"the-art-of-prayer-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/the-art-of-prayer-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is prayer a daily discipline for you, or is it something you save &#8220;for emergencies&#8221;? Crawford Loritts shares principles of effective prayer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/d2c17sq0nj1f7e.cloudfront.net\/flw2021-07-24.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:00","filesize":"25.64M","filesize_raw":"26883355","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[4299,2210],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[3076],"series":[10388],"class_list":["post-307171","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-faith","tag-prayer","cwp_profile-crawford-loritts","series-familylife-this-week"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/10\/FLTW-Podcast-Cover-2-1400x1400-1-300x300-1.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/307171\/the-art-of-prayer-2","player_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/307171\/the-art-of-prayer-2","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-this-week","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"p0LbeXQ21q\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/the-art-of-prayer-2\/\">The Art of Prayer<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/the-art-of-prayer-2\/embed\/#?secret=p0LbeXQ21q\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Art of Prayer&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"p0LbeXQ21q\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Is prayer a daily discipline for you, or is it something you save \"for emergencies\"? Crawford Loritts shares principles of effective prayer.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/flw\/flw2021-07-24.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Do you find yourself struggling to find time in your daily busy schedule to pray? Now I\u2019m not here to throw you under the bus, but Crawford Loritts says that could be a sign of a deeper issue.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Crawford:<\/strong> The reason why we <em>don\u2019t<\/em> pray is because of a pride issue. I\u2019ve discovered in my life that proud people can\u2019t pray; proud people <em>struggle<\/em> with prayer. The reason is quite obvious when you think about it, because prayer is an expression of our neediness. You cannot pray, authentically, until you embrace your own need. Prayer is a statement that: \u201cI\u2019m desperate.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> I\u2019m desperate\u2014are you?\u2014desperate for an effective prayer life. That\u2019s what we\u2019re going to talk about today: the art of effective prayer on this edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>. I'm Michelle Hill. A couple of months ago, I reconnected with a couple, who used to live in my town. They are a couple who love God; they passionately <em>serve<\/em> him. When I think of these dear friends, I think of people who know how to pray. The more that I\u2019m around them, the more <em>I<\/em> want to have that life. I mean, they pray for <em>everything<\/em>\u2014they pray if they lose their keys; they thank God if the stoplight is green\u2014they just are always praying. They have modeled for me what it means to have that deep, deep <em>genuine<\/em> connection with God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s another man who knows prayer; his name is Crawford Loritts. He\u2019s the pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia. Crawford and his wife Karen have been friends of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> for a long, long time. In fact, they\u2019ve been speakers on our <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae <\/sup>getaways for probably almost three decades.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Message]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Crawford:<\/strong> Every year at our church\u2014we\u2019ve started a tradition there\u2014the first full week in January is a week of extraordinary prayer. I preach the first Sunday and the second Sunday on prayer. We\u2019ve just come through that at our church. I am more convinced than ever before that what E.M. Bounds said in his classic little book, <em>Power Through Prayer<\/em>, is absolutely, categorically, infinitely correct and right; and that is, \u201cThe greatest thing a Christian can do is to pray.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI had the wonderful privilege on Wednesday of flying up and meeting with Dr. Graham, and walked in with two other friends. I had a list of questions to ask him; but then, when I sat down and we started talking, I didn\u2019t want to ask him anything; just wanted to listen. But I did ask him this question\/I said, \u201cDr. Graham, what is the most significant thing that\u2019s ever happened in your life and ministry? What is core?\u201d Before I could <em>finish<\/em> the question, he said, \u201cPrayer\u2014prayer has been everything\u2014prayer.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen on Friday, I got a letter from a 90-year-old woman, Hazel Quackenbush. We\u2019ve known Hazel for years; I went to college with her daughter. Her daughter dated and subsequently married one of my best friends; his name is Joe Douglas. Joe and I were prayer partners all the way through college. Joe\u2019s room was right next to mine. At night, we would go to either one of the other\u2019s room; and we would pray together in the evening. Joe\u2019s a pastor of a great church in New Jersey now. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI hadn\u2019t contacted Hazel in a long time. I saw in her letter that she had turned 90 and they had a big birthday for her. There was a phone number, so I called her Friday. I said, \u201cMrs. Quackenbush, do you know who this is? This is Crawford Loritts; do you remember me?\u201d She said, \u201cWell, of course, I remember you.\u201d She said, \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I remember you?\u201d [Laughter] Then she said these words: \u201cYour picture is on my prayer board.\u201d That woman\u2019s been praying for me all these years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe greatest thing that we can do is pray. Why do we pray? I think that there are two reasons why we pray: I\u2019m going to give you the <em>lesser<\/em> of them, and then I want to dive into the main reason why we pray. Then I want to talk about the loving involvement of the Trinity in our prayer lives; it\u2019s going to be more relational than it sounds.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere are two great reasons why we pray. The lesser of the two is to get our needs met. But sometimes we don\u2019t pray; the reason why we <em>don\u2019t<\/em> pray is because of a pride issue. I\u2019ve discovered in my life that proud people can\u2019t pray; proud people <em>struggle<\/em> with prayer. The reason is quite obvious when you think about it, because prayer is an expression of our neediness. You cannot pray, authentically, until you embrace your own need. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPrayer is a statement that: \u201cI\u2019m desperate.\u201d Prayer is a statement that I don\u2019t have it all together. I\u2019m forever indebted to Bob Lepine for sending me one of the top five books that I have read in the past five to ten years. It\u2019s a book by a guy by the name of Paul Miller; the name of the book is <em>A Praying Life<\/em>. The first chapter and his chapter on the relationship between cynicism and prayer is worth the price of the book itself. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMiller says that one of the subtlest hindrances to prayer is probably the most pervasive: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cIn the broader culture and in our churches, we prize intellect, competency and wealth. Because we can do life without God, praying seems nice but unnecessary. Money can do what prayer does, and it\u2019s quicker and less time-consuming. Our trust in ourselves and in our talents makes us\u201d\u2014listen to this line\u2014\u201cstructurally independent of God. As a result, exhortations to pray don\u2019t stick.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s a little bit of a bind; isn\u2019t it? You\u2019re not going to pray until you\u2019re in touch with your <em>need<\/em>. As a pastor, I\u2019ve learned that I can cajole, and preach, and guilt people\u2014and tell them how to do stuff, particularly in the prayer area\u2014but they\u2019re not going to pray until, somewhere along the line, there\u2019s this avalanche of need that grips them. That\u2019s the tipping point; that\u2019s when we really, really pray. But that\u2019s not what I\u2019m going to talk about today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to talk about the second reason, which is the primary reason, biblically. I\u2019m convinced of this, from Genesis to Revelation. The real reason why we pray\/the real reason why we pray is because God wants us to experience His love and care for us. Meeting our needs is a backstroke issue with God, but the real reason why we pray is because of the loving heart of God that pursues us and wants us to experience\/wants us to experience His love and care for us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis takes legalism out of prayer, and this really motivates us to pray; because quite frankly, prayer is the means by and through which we hang out with God. There is no intimacy with God apart from interaction with His heart; the way that we interact with His heart is by seeking Him, talking to Him, experiencing Him. Prayer is <em>massive<\/em>; it is the gateway into the very presence of God. That is the reason why Hazel Quackenbush and Billy Graham would answer\u2014bam!\u2014\u201cPrayer is everything.\u201d They weren\u2019t saying that they\u2014like going to the grocery store, God just checked off what they were asking for\u2014they were talking about the intimate relationship that they had with the loving Father. It\u2019s a way by and through which we hang out with God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod loves us and desires to have an intimate relationship with us. That\u2019s why, in the Bible, the <em>Trinity<\/em> is pictured as a loving resource. Have you ever thought about it?\u2014that the three persons of the Godhead majors in prayer on our behalf. It is this picture of a sovereign, loving, pursuant God\u2014through God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit\u2014chasing us <em>down<\/em> and drawing us to Himself. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet\u2019s just take a snapshot at these three portraits: the first portrait is a caring God; the second portrait is a powerful Representative; and the third portrait is a passionate Interceder. Look at what He says here in Luke, Chapter 11\u2014I really want to look at verses 11-13\u2014but I do want to just drill down with the opening word when Jesus\u2019 disciples came to Him and asked Him, \u201cWould You teach us how to pray?\u201d [Paraphrased]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe says, \u201cYes, and here\u2019s the first thing you say, \u2018Father.\u2019\u201d [Paraphrased] Then Jesus picks up the explanation and the application of that down in verse 11; He says, \u201cWhat father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod wants to give us what is <em>good for us<\/em>. Now, I don\u2019t want to play with words; notice I said, \u201cwhat\u2019s good for us,\u201d and not necessarily \u201cwhat\u2019s good <em>to<\/em> us.\u201d That will change the way we pray. God gives us what\u2019s good <em>for<\/em> us and not necessarily what\u2019s good <em>to<\/em> us. The implications are right there. God does want the <em>best<\/em> for us, but not by our definition\/not by our definition.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSecondly, what we think is good could be harmful\/could be harmful. But God <em>always<\/em> wants what\u2019s good. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe third implication is what might be a blessing to you could be a curse to me, so you\u2019ve got to get past this comparison\/jealousy stuff. Simply because God said, \u201cYes,\u201d to someone else about how their\u2014brought their prodigal child home when they were 18\u2014don\u2019t be prescriptive when it comes to God. Because what could be a blessing to you, from a timing perspective, could be a <em>dastardly<\/em> curse to me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhenever you\u2019re going through a tremendous challenge, it is <em>tremendously<\/em> important to immerse yourself in the control of the Spirit of God. You need to see where you\u2019re going and what you\u2019re doing through <em>supernatural eyes<\/em>; run to the Father. I love what Warren Wiersbe says along these lines; he makes the observation: \u201cBecause God knows us and loves us, we never need to be afraid of the answer He gives us.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen I was about ten or eleven years old, I was swimming up at the Boy\u2019s Club there in Newark, New Jersey, which wasn\u2019t too far from our house. A bunch of us were just jumping off the side of the pool and just turning in the air as we jumped and went in the water. When I jumped off, I was a little too close to the side of the pool. I turned around and hit my chin on the side of the pool, so I busted my chin. My dad worked nights, so he happened to be home. They called my father; and he came and got me, and took me to the hospital. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBack in those days, they didn\u2019t have the anesthesia that we have now and this kind of thing; so when you got stitches\u2014you got stitches\u2014and everything that went with it. I\u2019ll never forget this; I can remember it to this day: I\u2019m laying there on the table. The doctor says to my dad, \u201cHold his arms down,\u201d\/\u201cHold his arms down\u201d; and he stitched me up. My dad would not hurt me for <em>anything<\/em>; but sometimes, you\u2019ve got to be held down before you\u2019re fixed. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou hear what I\u2019m saying to you?\u2014somebody here needs to hear that. Sometimes you just have to be <em>held down<\/em> before you\u2019re fixed. You\u2019ve got to trust in a <em>loving God<\/em> that sees the beginning from the end; He\u2019s not out to get us. It hurts like the dickens\u2014and you want to cuss; and you want to throw things; and you want to do bad stuff\u2014He says, \u201cI\u2019ve got to hold you down until I fix you.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo we have the portrait of a loving father that does things that\u2019s good <em>for<\/em> us but not always good <em>to <\/em>us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014a loving Father, who disciplines us and guides us. That discipline doesn\u2019t always feel good; does it? Crawford Loritts reminding us of the power of prayer. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is something <em>powerful<\/em> when you and I enter the presence of God. That doesn\u2019t always have to be in church: it could be your living room, your bedroom, or even the outdoors\u2014just whenever you say\u2014\u201cGod, I\u2019m here to talk.\u201d Oh, and when you\u2019re driving\u2014that\u2019s the perfect place to be\u2014well, just don\u2019t close your eyes or anything like that; we don\u2019t want any accidents; and please, don\u2019t blame it on me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re going to take a break and hear from Ron Deal; but when we come back, Crawford\u2019s going to continue talking with us about this art of effective prayer. Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Radio Station Spot Break]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Welcome back to <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>. I\u2019m Michelle Hill. Today, we\u2019ve been talking about prayer or, rather, <em>learning<\/em> about prayer with Crawford Loritts. As Crawford said before the break, prayer is the gateway to the very presence of God. It\u2019s time with Him that makes us into who we are: He molds us, and He shapes us. But instead of me telling you about it, let\u2019s get back to Crawford; because he\u2019s the one with the goods today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous <em>Love Like You Mean It <\/em>Message]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Crawford:<\/strong> Secondly, we have the portrait and picture of a caring Representative. The writer of Hebrews says: \u201cSince then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold <em>fast<\/em> our confession \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Hebrews 4:14; emphasis added]. We hold fast our confession predicated on the perfect work of Jesus. Nothing else needs to be done. We have <em>stability<\/em> in Him. He\u2019s our <em>security<\/em>. We don\u2019t need to waffle; we don\u2019t need to be rattled. Everything that we have is found in Jesus\u2014that Jesus, unlike earthly priests, is not inadequate\u2014so we stand, gratefully, secure. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen in verse 15, he underscores the whole concept that He knows what we\u2019re going through: \u201cFor we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize\u201d\u2014unable to sympathize\u2014\u201cwith our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.\u201d Jesus knows the depth of all of our struggles, whatever it might be\u2014He understands your battle with lust; He understands your torturous battle with jealousy and envy; He understands your struggle with insecurity\u2014anything imaginable, Jesus understands it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe third observation I want to make right here from the passage is that: \u201cHe is the basis for our confidence in prayer.\u201d This little paragraph comes to a point\u2014it\u2019s like driving to this one point\u2014the writer says, \u201cBecause of all of this, \u2018Let 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.\u2019\u201d God doesn\u2019t just tolerate the meeting; but when we pray, we tap into the <em>sovereign power and resources of God, who proactively, out of His mercy, wants to do the best for us and says that we have access<\/em> to everything that He has; it\u2019s ours. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s a portrait of a caring Father; there\u2019s a portrait and picture of a caring and loving Representative in Jesus. Then thirdly, there\u2019s the portrait and the picture of a caring and a loving Intercessor. Romans, Chapter 8: I want to make two observations about the role of the Spirit of God\u2014which is incredible\u2014the role of the Spirit of God in our prayer life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne, He intervenes for us; and then secondly, specifically, He intercedes for us. This comes right out of these two verses. Look at what he says in verse 26: \u201cLikewise,\u201d\u2014now I\u2019m reading from the English Standard Version; but I would like for you to underscore these words\/these are incredible words\u2014\u201cLikewise, the Spirit <em>helps<\/em>\u201d\u2014[emphasis added] that\u2019s the first word\u2014\u201cin our <em>weakness,<\/em>\u201d\u2014[emphasis added] that\u2019s the second word\u2014\u201cfor we do not know what to pray for as we ought,\u201d\u2014that\u2019s the third expression: \u201cas we ought.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tUnbelievable! The Spirit intervenes; He helps us. And the word, \u201chelp,\u201d there is a rich word that comes from a word that means to help someone carry a load. He keeps bearing us along as we cry out to God. The word, \u201cweakness,\u201d comes from a general word that refers to spiritual, emotional, even physical disability. Again, this is the point: \u201cWe are strongest when we run from our competencies.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAt this stage in my life, I fear <em>deeply<\/em> for the state of evangelicalism in this country. It seems as if we so run from leading with the spiritual dynamics that the Bible leads with. We celebrate so much our abilities and our competencies that, for all practical purposes, the spiritual and the supernatural has been eroded from the equation! I fear; I fear. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, don\u2019t hear me as saying that we should not be competent\u2014there are plenty of Proverbs that are in the Bible; Paul\u2019s words to Timothy about developing his skills and gifts\u2014but what I\u2019m saying is that we lead with, and we\u2019re not ashamed of, the fact that we are weak. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn all ministry, in the Bible, in all advancement in the Christian life\u2014does not advance from strength\u2014it advances from weakness. Prayer is not the celebration of our skills and abilities; it\u2019s not the Pharisee standing over in the corner. But it\u2019s the penniless widow that says, \u201cHelp me,\u201d \u201cHelp me.\u201d I can only be helped when I embrace my weakness. The way Paul words this: that He\u2019ll help you to carry the load as long as you know you got a load that you need to carry and you can\u2019t carry it! He says He prays for us as we ought\u2014He intervenes for us\u2014He comes alongside of us: \u201cCrawford, you don\u2019t even know what to pray for,\u201d\u2014I feel it all the time\u2014\u201cGod, I don\u2019t know what to do; I don\u2019t know what to say. I don\u2019t even know what to ask You for. Will You help me?\u201d He intervenes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen secondly, intercedes for us. I\u2019m just blown away by this\u2014that the third person of the Trinity, right now, is interceding for me\u2014he says, again, in verse 26: \u201cbut the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me say\u2014without getting into a ditch on this\u2014I\u2019ve heard some people use this text to apply to speaking in some prayer language to the Lord. I\u2019m not knocking that at all, but that\u2019s a misapplication of the passage. Grammatically, we\u2019re not the ones that\u2019s groaning and neither, grammatically, is the Holy Spirit groaning through us. It is the Holy Spirit, taking our audible prayer requests before the Father, and He\u2019s the One that\u2019s groaning\u2014we don\u2019t know what He\u2019s saying\u2014that\u2019s what Paul is saying. We don\u2019t know what He\u2019s saying, but He <em>groans<\/em> for us. The other implication of that word, groaning, is that He <em>wrestles<\/em> for us; He <em>fights <\/em>for us before the Father. What an incredible thought. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen it says that: \u201cAnd He,\u201d\u2014that\u2019s God\u2014\u201cwho searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit [Romans 8:27].\u201d I used to be confused by this verse until I paid attention to some things that I should have learned in English grammar in high school or junior high school. This is not very confusing at all; this is <em>amazing<\/em>. It says that: \u201cHe\u201d\u2014God\u2014\u201c[who] searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn other words, they are aligned; they are aligned. As He is groaning on my behalf, there\u2019s no confusion between God and the Spirit as to what\u2019s being said, or what needs to be said, or what needs to be done; they\u2019re just kind of like this [motion made with hands]. Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints\u2014and here\u2019s aligned\u2014not necessarily what\u2019s good <em>to <\/em>us but what\u2019s good <em>for <\/em>us, according to the will of God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u201cThank you,\u201d to Crawford Loritts today for sharing with us what our role in prayer is; but also, reminding us the role of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit when He hears our prayer, and intercedes for us, and teaches us. We serve a mighty God; don\u2019t we? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t know if you remember the quote that Crawford Loritts started our time off with, but it was from E.M. Bounds; and he said, \u201cThe greatest thing a Christian can do is to pray.\u201d He didn\u2019t say, \u201cIt\u2019s the least you can do.\u201d He didn\u2019t say, \u201cPray and add other things to it.\u201d He said, \u201cPrayer is the greatest thing we can do.\u201d That\u2019s something really good to think about as we head into another week: \u201cThe greatest thing we can do is pray.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tComing up next week, we\u2019re going to talk about giving grace\/extending grace when someone has hurt you. I hope you can join us for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThanks for listening today! I want to thank the president of FamilyLife, David Robbins, our co-founder, Dennis Rainey, along with our station partners around the country. A big \u201cThank you!\u201d to our engineer today, Keith Lynch. Thanks to our producers, Marques Holt and Phil Krause. Justin Adams is our mastering engineer, and Megan Martin is our production coordinator.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur program is a production of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, and our mission is to effectively develop godly families who change the world one home at a time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI'm Michelle Hill, inviting you to join us again next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. 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