30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness.
What good news! God doesn’t expect us to know how to pray on our own, and neither does he expect us to do his will on our own. That’s why he gave us his Holy Spirit—to aid us in our weakness.
How does the Spirit come to our aid? One of the clearest examples can be found in the Book of Acts. Before the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they were afraid and locked themselves in the upper room (Acts 2). Yes, they loved the Lord, but they were also hemmed in by their fears and insecurities. But when the Holy Spirit filled them, he gave them the courage, confidence, and peace to go out and preach the gospel, whatever the cost.
While we are not locked in a room, we can all relate to feeling trapped by our struggles or sin patterns. Yet like the first disciples, we also have the Holy Spirit living in us. And it is especially when we are feeling weak that we should ask him to come and help us. The key, however, is to try to remain open to whatever the Spirit wants to accomplish in us.
Two symbols for the Holy Spirit can help us understand how to open our hearts to the Spirit’s work. Water and wind can do a lot on their own to create change. But they need to be able to move freely, and we need to place ourselves in their path if we want them to change us. Water flows freely unless we dam it up. Wind has power, but it has no effect on us if we stay inside our homes. Just so, we can miss the power of the Spirit if we lock the doors of our hearts in fear or doubt. But if we trust in God and try to keep our hearts open, the Spirit is more free to move in us.
Being open to the Spirit is not a passive pursuit. It requires faith—first, that the Spirit will come to our aid, and second, that he can accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. It’s an active faith that doesn’t put limits on the Lord and his work in us.
Today, take a few moments to ask the Lord, “How can I yield more to the Holy Spirit when I’m feeling weak? How can I let him move more freely in my life?” Then open your heart to the Spirit and ask him in!
“Holy Spirit, you are welcome here—in my heart, in my mind, and in my life.”
Psalm 13:4-6
Luke 13:22-30
Romans 8:26-30