MAX ON LIFE

46. For the past six months I've been the sole caretaker for my mom during multiple surgeries. The emotional and physical intensity of this leaves me so exhausted that I don't have the strength to pray. Does this mean that I am disappointing God or that he won't help me in this trial?

We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1John 2:1)

Do you know that you don't always have to be present in court? Sometimes your lawyer can speak for you. He understands these situations when you don't, and he speaks legalese while you stumble over the words.

You also have an advocate standing before the Father. When you are weak, he is strong. When you are timid, he speaks.

Jesus understands our every weakness. He lived in one of these tired, brokendown bodies! So he can stand in for us, appealing for us, when we just can't speak for ourselves.

We also have support from the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. (Rom 8:26-27)

Those sounds coming from your tired soul? Indecipherable? Hardly. The Holy Spirit speaks Groan-ese. Our groans are worth a thousand words.

"Uuuggghhh" - Help me, Lord. Get me out of this misery.

"Uhhhhhhhh" - I don't know what to do. The pain is too much.

"Ooohhhhhh" - Where is everyone?

God is not disappointed that we are so burdened we can't pray. He is sympathetic and picks up where we dropped off. With Jesus as your advocate and the Holy Spirit as your prayer partner, I bet you've been praying more than you think.

By: Max Lucado