Peter agrees with Paul, explaining that God creates a “living
hope” inside every Christian when they are born again. It is a hope
for “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled” — it will not be a
disappointment. It is a hope that is “reserved in heaven” — it cannot
be found in earthly, ambitious, life-consuming pursuits (1 Pet.
1:3-4).
Pray for the unknown. (vv. 26-27)
The Holy Spirit fashions in me an unimaginable longing for a new
life free from sin and an expectation that one day my deepest desires
will be fulfilled. But wait! There’s more! He also helps me pray
effectively.
Why is that significant? If prayer is asking and expecting God to
do what He wants to do (1 John 5:14-15), how can I pray when I do not
know what God wants to do? I need help!
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Have you ever had your hands in the sink when the phone rings? Or
perhaps you were working in the garage and your hands were too dirty
to hold the phone? Did someone hold the phone up to your ear so you
could talk?
When you pray with the purpose of asking God to do His will, Paul
explains that it is like “holding up the phone” so that the Holy
Spirit and God the Father can talk. The Spirit literally joins in to
help you pray (v. 26), but His mysterious, non-verbal intercession is
“according to the will of God” (v. 27).
At the end of a movie I saw not long ago, most of the
theater-goers got up to leave as the credits began to roll — but the
film was not over! There were several minutes more of humorous
outtakes to enjoy!
We may be forgiven, saved, and born again. But wait! The Father is not finished with us. There’s more!
_____________________
Sermon provided
by: Don Pucik,
Associate Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention
in Little Rock, AR