Living in the Spirit
October 9, 2018
Scripture Reading: Job 23:1-9, 16-17
‘If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face! –Job 23:16-17
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. 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. –Romans 8:26-27
For a couple of months after my mother died, every time I prayed it felt like my words were bouncing off the ceiling back down on me. Yet I stubbornly kept praying until one night my words, thoughts transcended the ceiling and did not return to me. I can only describe the experience; I cannot explain it. Job’s words in the scripture above reminded me of that experience. I am a word person. I like expressing myself in words but there are times in our lives when there are no words that fit. At least I do not know any words that fit. That is why Paul’s words from Romans quoted above are so meaningful to me. I take great peace in the understanding that the Spirit fills in the blanks when I cannot complete the thoughts.
Be not dismayed whatever betide
God will take care of you
Beneath His wings of love abide
God will take care of you
God will take care of you
Through everyday o’er all the way
He will care for you
God will take care of you*
Prayer: Thank you, God, for the gift of the Spirit’s intercession when I am stranded and adrift. Amen.
*First verse and refrain from the hymn God Will Take Care of You by Civilla D. Martin see at https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/God_Will_Take_Care_of_You_Martin/