2004-03-30 - God is a Spirit

Encore 1999-04-06

John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

"God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, John 4:24, Job 11:7-9, Psal. 90:2, James 1:17, Exod. 3:14, Psal. 147:5, Revel. 4:8,15:4, Exod. 34:6,7."

-Robert Port

It would be impossible to cover the topic of "God" in a short, one page devotional. For that reason today we will focus on the Spirit of God and how he is a helper to us in prayer. Prayer is one of the central elements of the life of a believer and His relation with God. The Spirit is our helper in this relationship and carries our requests to God, "...for we do not know how to pray as we should...", Romans 8:26

The Spirit makes known our requests to God. In Zechariah 12:10 we are told of the "Spirit of grace and supplication". The Spirit is said to help our infirmities in prayer and to actually make intercession for us (Romans 8:26,27). The Spirit cries, "Abba, Father", in our hearts (Galatians 4:6). We are counseled to pray in the Spirit (Jude 20).

The Spirit's help in prayers is not to be found in our praying eloquence, or the fluidity of the expression of our prayers. Eloquence and expressive prayers can be obtained through natural means such as an active imagination. The Spirit's help is found in His assistance in helping us obtain the mind of God in our prayers.

In prayer we offer up our requests to God. But these desires need to be in accordance with the will of God. By renewing and sanctifying our desires and affections the Spirit helps us begin to think God's thoughts and we begin to have desires and affections that are according to God's will. When we desire holiness and seek the glory of God, then our prayers are in harmony with God's will. Then we are praying according to the Spirit.

The cry, "Abba, Father", from the child of God is an acknowledgment of our need for the assistance of the Spirit in our prayers. The help of the Spirit of God is often seen in the liberty, happiness, and hopefulness with which we are able to make known our requests to God. But, even when such joyful feelings are absent we should not think we are without the Spirit in our prayers. The goal of the child of God is to obtain the mind of God in our prayers. The Spirit is our helper in this as we seek His face.

"If you could pray the best prayer in the world without the Holy Spirit, God would have nothing to do with it." C. H. Spurgeon

"We could not pray at all were it not for the Holy Spirit." D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

tim@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
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Please note: This devotional was originally one in a series entitled "A Holy Alphabet." If you'd like to see other devotionals in Tim's series, you can find them at this link:

http://www.cfdevotionals.org/links/devseris.htm#alpha