What now?

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:26-28 NLT)

We frequently hear the verse reminding us that God works all things out for our good. We seldom quote what comes before that verse, overlooking the fact that we will have moments when we are weak, when we don't know how to pray, and when our heart will be hurting so much that we don't even want to pray. The more we 'don't know' what our heart is trying to express, the more we need the Spirit within us to express it for us. The 'good' God will bring forth from experiences where our weakness becomes so very evident isn't always appreciated when we enter into those situations, is it? We must trust him with all our heart, even when our heart is part of the issue! Mind, will, and emotions (our 'heart') are frequently the cause of our weakness and hurt. We need his guidance to even know what to ask, when to ask, and how to hear him when he brings the wisdom we need to deal with those weaknesses and hurts.

As you may very well know, we might be the very last ones to recognize our weaknesses, while it is quite easy for us to point them out in others. A very wise counselor once told me the more I find myself focusing on a particular weakness in others, the more it might indicate I struggle with that particular weakness in myself. We frequently see in others what we don't see in ourselves. Those things that leave us in a tangle of emotions might not reveal their 'roots' to us quite so easily. We could need the wisdom of a close friend to help us see the roots of the issue we are struggling to overcome aren't whatever we thought they would be. When God's Spirit helps us express where we are weak and where it is we are hurting, we are more likely to begin to see those roots exposed. 

God will use circumstances and situations sometimes beyond our control to help us see where it is we need the deepest of his touches. When he does this, it is not because he wants to amplify our hurt or pain. It is because he loves us too much to allow us to remain in that pain and to continue to deal with those hurts all over again. He wants us to be free of them once and for all, coming out of those struggles stronger, filled with his power, and leaning heavily upon his grace. When God sets out to work in our lives, he does it with a purpose we might not fully appreciate as we enter into those situations. We must prepare our hearts to receive what he will do, knowing he causes everything to work together for OUR good in the end. Just sayin!