Title: Prayer of Power /Romans 8:26-27
Content Prayer of Power / Romans 8:26-27 Daegu Jeil Church
26) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27) He who searches hearts knows the thoughts of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Today is the 18th Sunday after Holy Trinity Sunday. Today, we are going to look at the way we can get closer to God. I would like to talk to you about prayer.
An interesting article was reported in the daily newspaper on October 4th related to prayer. This was about the effectiveness of intercession. The article was about the results of a prayer experiment conducted jointly by Dr. Gwang-ryeol Cha, dean of Pocheon Chinese Medical University in Korea, and Dr. Rogerio Lobo, head of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University, USA. This research team secretly sent photos of 199 people undergoing infertility treatment at Seongnam CHA Hospital in 1998-1999 to Christians in the United States, Canada, and Australia. And he asked for intercession so that the pregnancy could be successful. Then, we compared and analyzed the success of pregnancy between those who received intercession and those who did not. As a result, a surprising fact was discovered. Infertility patients who received intercession were twice as likely to be pregnant as infertile patients who did not receive intercession. Dr. Robo said, “I thought for a long time whether or not the research results would be published, but the difference between the two groups was clear and could not be ignored.” This article was quoted by The New York Times from a paper published in the Journal of Reproductive Health. It was quoted by a Korean daily newspaper, and its credibility is quite high.
It must have been hard to believe as a doctor working in obstetrics and gynecology. It must have seemed absurd to a scientist's eyes. Because there is no rational explanation at all. However, this was an event that showed the spiritual power that works beyond human reason and science. We believe this is the power of God. Conversely, this fact shows that God is clearly living and working.
The Holy Spirit helps us when we are not sure what to ask for. Even after living in the church for a long time, we often do not know how to pray. At times like these, the Holy Spirit also grieves and groans for us. Also, when we pray with an earnest heart, the Holy Spirit also grieves and prays for us. It is like the prayer of a mother crying out with mourning when her beloved son goes wrong.
For example, I had a son who was out of town to get a job. As he was living alone, he lost his temper, and when he stopped living a religious life, he fell into a more and more evil path. The work is getting worse and the stress builds up and my head hurts. I try to drink and try to overcome this, but it just gets worse and worse. Who among the mothers who sees this would not feel sorry for them? But the son noticed a strange phenomenon. It was the fact that by 10 o'clock at night, the aching head was cooled and returned to normal. And I was able to sleep well. He didn't know why. Then one day, I got a message from my mother. The mother is praying for her son every night at 10 o'clock, so she wants to come back to God and lead a normal life. When he heard the news, his son just cried. It was because I not only felt Mother's love there, but also felt the work of God. God delivered the mother's prayer to his son through the Holy Spirit.
The reason the Holy Spirit can help us is because He knows God and our hearts. In today's scripture, the Holy Spirit is a spiritual being, so He knows everything about us. According to 1 Corinthians 2:10, the Holy Spirit is also the one who searches the deep things of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit knows what God wants, so he knows what really pleases God. He also knows the will of God and makes it known to us who are children of God.
Since the Holy Spirit knows the will of God, we must pray according to the will of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. All prayers that are fulfilled according to God's will will come true. In other words, when we pray, we should make an effort to discern the will of God together. When we speak, do we not speak while considering the thoughts and circumstances of the other party? In what posture is the other party speaking now? If you know what you really mean through that expression, you can understand what you want and solve it without disturbing the direction of the story. Likewise, we must know God's will and pray. It's not that it's important to pray a lot, but it's important to pray what God wants.
At the same time, he confesses that he believes in the power of prayer. It is his confession that he realized that he thought he was making decisions and moving, but in reality he was moved by the power of prayer. That's right. He didn't know it, but the Holy Spirit was working for both. The prayers we offer to God today are working only when we live, and He makes them bear fruit in ways we do not know.
The work done through prayer in the work of the Holy Spirit brought amazing results. It's not just the numbers that matter. It is the fact that He has led us to become a truly living church. The Holy Spirit does not work in the same way in all churches, but the law is the same. I sincerely hope that the work of the Holy Spirit through these prayers will happen among us as well.
This work of prayer is taking place among you and me. That is the process of being invited to this place. My wife and I visited Daegu Jeil Church together in early November 1999 when there was a problem with the church. He visited Dongsan Medical Center while passing the church for a diagnosis. It was at the time I had already heard through the denomination's newspapers and rumors, so it was not unfamiliar to me to see a banner hanging in the church yard.
Then, one day in February, I told my parents: Perhaps it was a declaration that God would soon lead me to ministry. Then, within a month, God had the calling chairperson of Daegu Jeil Church call me. I got the call and thought that God was calling me. When I was assigned to this church, many saints were praying. I also believe that this series of events was accomplished with your prayers.
Now, we must become a church that experiences the work of prayer more. God wants to work through Daegu Jeil Church, but without the power of prayer, He will not do anything. I hope you do not commit the sin of ceasing prayer. Whether it is a morning prayer meeting, a Friday night prayer meeting, a continuous prayer meeting, or individual prayer time, whether praying at church or at home, the important thing is that we should have a time of close prayer with God.
No matter how difficult the problem, God will solve it through those who pray. Even if it is a secret problem that cannot be shared with others, God will reveal it through those who pray and lead us in the most appropriate direction. I hope you believe that God wants to do amazing things through the prayerful Daegu Jeil Church.