Paul has been making his introduction to the Roman church he hoped to visit follow the events of the Exodus and showing how they are similar to the development of basic Christian beliefs he himself believed. It is one of the most systematic presentations of Christian faith. He starts with Abraham who believed, and it was counted to him as righteousness, while he was a gentile or heathen, before circumcision or the giving of the Ten Commandments. Abraham is the starting point for three world religions. His offspring through Isaac were rescued from slavery in Egypt the same way faith in God’s promises given in Jesus brings us back into relationship with God. We are now God’s adopted children who are being led to our inheritance even as God led the Israelites through the wilderness. Adoption is a big word to describe faith but the other big word that Paul uses is redeemed. We are bought back.
The story often given is of a little child who builds a sailboat but upon putting it in water, it floats away. The child later sees the boat in a pawnshop and buys it again even though it was his creation. The death of Christ on the cross was God redeeming his creation – for those who choose to be in relationship with him, faith. One of the beautiful promises that goes with this analogy is that Paul now talks about is the help of the Holy Spirit.
“26 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. 27 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)”
Prayer is not about memorizing the right words, sitting in the right position, or about being in the right place on the right day. We have the Spirit that “helps” us. Using modern lingo perhaps we could say we have a speech writer who knows how to say it right, or an expert editor who cleans up our rough draft, or our own lobbyist to whom we did not have to give money. We call the Spirit, the Advocate. God welcomes us to share with him even now whatever is on our heart. One way to do that is to follow the acronym ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Try praying one sentence sharing one thing you appreciate about God, one thing you feel sorry about, one thing you are thankful for and then one request. Blessing.
On the Way to Wonder 