Do you have longings in your heart that never seem to be fully realized? At some point in our lives we realize that the next toy, the next experience, the next business deal or relationship, all good in themselves, will not satisfy our soul. There is a reason for this. We were made for something more, something greater, and something more satisfying than anything in this world can provide. We were made for God and it is when we are finally in his presence that we will be most complete.  This is why CS Lewis wrote, “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” We were literally made for another world where every desire of our heart will be satisfied, where none of our struggles with sin, pain, sorrow, sadness will exist any longer and where there is perfect peace in the perfect presence of God.  One of the most beautiful depictions of heaven is found in Revelation 21:1-7. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Randy Alcorn in his best-selling book entitled Heaven - the best book in print on the subject in my view - writes this. "To long for Christ is to long for heaven, for that is where we will be with him. God’s people are “longing for a better country” (Hebrews 11:16). We cannot set our eyes on Christ without setting our eyes on heaven, and we cannot set our eyes on heaven without setting our eyes on Christ. Still, it is not only Christ but “things above” we are to set our minds on.” One other passage from Revelation is important: Revelation 22:1-5. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Father, I cannot imagine heaven but you tell us that it is what our heart longs for because you are there and it is what we are made for. Remind me that this world will never satisfy my soul but you can and one day my soul will be fully and completely satisfied. Amen.

It was 2007. I was struggling for my life in an ICU room with massive MRSA pneumonia, multiple system failure, a failed mitral valve, tethered to 15 different machines including a ventilator that breathed for me. Each night, one of my siblings or family would spend the night in my room. This night, it was my youngest sister whom I am very close to. She was standing next to the ventilator, heartbroken, sad, and questioning God as to why God had allowed this to happen, and knowing that the doctors did not believe I would live.  Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and the presence of another in the room with her. In that moment she instantly knew that whatever the outcome, whether I lived or died, it was going to be OK. She turned to see who it was and there was no one there. But she knew that there had been. An angel sent by God to comfort her in a time of need. She sensed it, felt it, and at that moment her heart moved from despair to a place of peace.  References to angels are sprinkled throughout the Bible. In Matthew 18:10, where Jesus talks about those who wander away from Him and need to be rescued he says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” This is a reference to what we call guardian angels, an unseen presence in our world who are there to minister to us on behalf of God.  Psalm 91:11 says that “he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” The writer of Hebrews reminds us “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).” I can point to several instances where I believe I have met angels sent from God in a time of need. Perhaps you can as well. Angels are God’s emissaries to us to protect, encourage, intervene on God’s behalf, and carry out His work in this world. If we could see the unseen world around us we would realize how amazingly active God is: on our behalf and in our world generally. The spiritual forces of good and evil are always active. We just don’t see them except from time to time.  As you walk through your day today, remember that you don’t walk alone. The Holy Spirit lives within you, Jesus walks beside you, and untold numbers of angels are active around you. As Paul says in Romans 8, nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Father, thank you for your amazing care for me and for those angels you send to comfort, protect, and encourage. You are an amazing God. Amen

One of the central tenets of our faith is that of a personal God who cared enough to create us, love us and redeem us. So why would we be surprised when God intervenes in significant ways in a miraculous way? Think about it: The Bible is an account of the miraculous from start to finish: Creation; pregnant at 100; the plagues; the parting of the Red Sea; healings; God’s numerous interventions on behalf of the Israelites; the incarnation (God becoming man is perhaps the central miracle of all time); resurrection from the dead (the companion miracle to the incarnation) and many more. Of course God intervenes in human history for He is the author of history. It is literally His Story! You and I are also the recipients of small or large miracles when God chooses to intervene on our behalf. CS Lewis said it well when he wrote: “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” That we are here is a miracle of creation and His family, the miracles of His incarnation and resurrection. So why should we be surprised when He miraculously intervenes in our daily lives? I have experienced His miraculous healing on several occasions when there was no human reason to explain why I survived. Except the gracious intervention of a loving God who cares for us as a Father for His children. I am a walking billboard of God’s miraculous healing several times over.  Jesus invites us to pray for miracles. In Luke 11, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer. It is a bold prayer with bold requests. But then Jesus goes on to expand His teaching on prayer: Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” I call this “Storming Heaven’s Gates,” and the one who occupies heaven invites us to do so! Why would He not care about the ones he created, became like us in the incarnation, and lives for us through the resurrection?  God is in the business of intervening on our behalf. Don’t be shy and don’t be surprised if He chooses to do something miraculous in your life. He probably already has, if you were paying attention. Father, I am here because of the miracle of creation. I am your child because of the miracle of your incarnation, resurrection and salvation. Teach me to trust you in all things and to not be surprised when you divinely and sovereignly intervene in my life. Amen.

Have you ever realized that God had you in mind - yes - you, before the creation of the world took place? In fact, He knew your name, He knew how you were going to be wired, He knew what your personal story and journey would be and even your greatest failures. And knowing all this, He chose you and predestined you for His family. Listen to these words of Paul in Ephesians 1. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” This is an amazing truth. I know myself well. Too well. I know my failures and my deep unworthiness. You know yourself and your stuff. And yet, God chose me and He chose you. That is amazing love. That is an indication of how special you are to God. How much He loves you and me! But even more amazing, He chose us for something. He chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight. In His love he predestined us to become sons and daughters of the King of the universe. He lavished his grace on us along with His redemption and forgiveness. And most amazing of all he gave us something of Himself, the Holy Spirit,  as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance in Him. We often wonder if anyone knows our name. If anyone notices our existence. If we are important in a world of billions of people. The answer is yes. God knew your name before you were. He knew everything about you and He chose you to be a trophy of His amazing grace. How cool is that? Father, I stand amazed that you knew me before I was and chose me even before you had created this planet. All I can say is thank you. I love you. I want to be a trophy of your amazing grace. Amen.

The writer of the Gospel of John was one of Christ’s closest colleagues, along with Peter and James. In John 1:14, John writes these iconic two sentences. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." In his later book, 1 John 1:1-3, he starts his letter with a similar statement. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” In both of these letters, John is emphasizing the truth of the incarnation where God became man in order that the lost creation could be again in fellowship with the creator. This was an extraordinary act for those God created had rebelled against Him and turned their backs on Him. Yet, even knowing this outcome, God had created humankind despite knowing that the cost of that renewed fellowship would be the death of His only Son, Jesus.  And so, God became man in the ultimate act of humility and love. The phrase, from John 1:14, that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us," can literally be translated, “He came and pup-tented among us.” The God of the universe, being born in a stable, welcomed by the pungent smell of manure and the stares of cattle, looking unknowingly at their own creator.  The word incarnation refers to the act of God sending His Son to live among us: fully human and yet fully divine. In all other religious systems, the lost creation works to become good enough to please their God. In Jesus, God lowered himself to become one of us and become our sacrifice for sin - so that we could know God. He did the work, not us. In the incarnation, the one who knew no sin chose to bear our sin so that we could be justified and sanctified through Him. Here is an amazing thing. The Son of God chose to take on our bodies and live in our world. In doing so, he chose to fully identify with us and the circumstances we face. He knows. He was here. And, when we see him face to face He will still have his body, only now a glorified body with the nail scars in his hands, his feet and the spear scar in his side. Not only did he choose to identify with us in time but He will do so through all eternity.  Father, no one could write a script like this except you. Thank you for the love that compelled you to choose incarnation for my sake and for the sake of all who put their faith in you. Words cannot convey my appreciation. Amen!

Nothing we do in this life, nothing we accomplish, nothing we accumulate, nothing we find success in, no amount of money earned and no accolades received, none of this makes any difference if we don’t take eternity into account in all that we do. I am an avid reader of biographies. The stories of amazing men and women who have changed the course of world history. People who did amazing things and sometimes horrible things. In many cases, these individuals have dozens and dozens of volumes written about their lives. But, in most cases there is no record of these individuals in heaven. No matter what they pulled off in this life, there is no life with God in the next. They did not live in light of eternity.  CS Lewis writes this. “‘If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.’ Those are hard words to take. Will it really make no difference whether it was women or patriotism, cocaine or art, whisky or a seat in the Cabinet, money or science? Well, surely no difference that matters. We shall have missed the end for which we are formed and rejected the only thing that satisfies. Does it matter to a man dying in a desert, by which choice of route he missed the only well? It is a remarkable fact that on this subject Heaven and HeIl speak with one voice. The tempter tells me, ‘Take care. Think how much this good resolve, the acceptance of this Grace, is going to cost.’ But Our Lord equally tells us to count the cost. Even in human affairs great importance is attached to the agreement of those whose testimony hardly ever agrees. Here is, more. Between them it would seem to be pretty clear that paddling is of little consequence. What matters, what Heaven desires and Hell fears, is precisely that further step; out of our depth, out of our own control.” Here is a truth to consider. We vastly overestimate the value of our human existence and vastly underestimate the value of our coming eternal existence. The only way to get the equation right and the only way to ensure that what we do on this side of eternity is to live our lives with our eyes on eternity. Again as CS Lewis wrote,  “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither. In Hebrews 11 we have this pantheon of heroes of the faith. But there is one section that is really important to understand. It is found in verses 13-16. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. They did what they did and followed God where He led with their eyes on eternity. This was Jesus as well who “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  He went to the cross with His eyes on heaven and his divine mission to save a people" (Hebrews 12:2). His motivation to do what He did was an eternal heavenly perspective. Likewise Paul wrote, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Paul endured amazing hardships for the sake of pleasing His Savior and knowing that it would all be worth it when He met Jesus face to face.  Living with our eyes on eternity changes the picture on everything we do. It makes decisions on priorities, relationships, service, money, raising our kids, or living out our marriages in light of an eternal perspective. Some might say, “We need to live in the here and now, not in the future.” They are correct. But to be fully alive in the here and now we must take into account the future because we were not ultimately made for this earth but for heaven. Furthermore, we enter into the Kingdom of God when we accept Christ into our lives. That is when true life begins as we were made for Him in the first place. We can live carelessly and accidentally, fumbling our way through life, feeding our desires, egos and personal addictions. Or we can invest our lives in things that God is pleased with, knowing that we have this life to invest for Him and that our days and opportunities are numbered.  The parable of the bags of Gold in Matthew 25 is all about living life with our eyes on eternity. It is about a master who went on a journey and who entrusted his wealth to his servants. The wealth he entrusted is like the gifting he has given us to invest on His behalf. After a long time he came home and found that the man who had received five bags of gold brought five more bags because he had invested the funds. The one who had received two bags of gold brought the man two more bags as he also had invested what he had been given. Finally the man who had been given one bag simply hid his bag in the ground and did nothing with it. To the first two servants, the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” These are the individuals who lived their lives in light of eternity. The servant who had not made any investment was not kindly treated by the master. He had chosen to live life on His terms and didn’t have his eyes on eternity but on himself. In fact, he was not welcomed into the eternal kingdom. I live for the day that I see Jesus face to face, look into His eyes and see the depths of grace and compassion and mercy that He has. And to hear Him say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come share your master’s faithfulness.” Father, help me to live my day today in light of eternity. Help me understand that how I invest my time, energies and relationships has an eternal impact. Amen.

Do you ever find yourself struggling between doing what God wants you to do and feeling pulled toward the sinful side of your character? There is a good reason for that. We have a savior but we also have an enemy and that enemy wants to derail your relationship with your savior. John 10:10 makes the dichotomy between our savior and our enemy clear. In the words of Jesus, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The enemy comes to destroy and the savior comes to bring fullness of life. And that battle takes place every day in our lives. What you need to know is that Jesus came to destroy the work of the evil one. 1 John 3:7 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” But we still struggle with sin and temptation. How do we deal with that spiritual warfare? Here is what Paul says about this tug of war in our lives. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Paul makes it clear that we are in a struggle and it is against the devil’s schemes and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. If that is true, we cannot defeat this by ourselves so Paul writes that we need the full armor of God so that “you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Unless we understand the realities of spiritual warfare and unless we understand our need for spiritual power to defeat the work of the evil one in our lives, we will be defeated. Spiritual warfare demands spiritual power. That power is available to us every moment of every day through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. But, we cannot do it on our own, which we often try to do. Remember that Jesus came to destroy the work of the evil one. That is true today in your life and my life.  And remember this: “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Never forget that truth! 1 John 4:4. How close is the help we need? It is within us through the Holy Spirit. Never forget: The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  Father, remind me often of the realities of spiritual warfare. Give me the power of your Spirit to say no to the evil one and yes to Jesus. Give me that power today. Amen.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.” - Acts 2:42-47  We read this account of the early church and say to ourselves, “I wish we could find a group of believers who lived this way - a church that functioned this way.” It is a beautiful picture, and it still happens today when sold out Christ followers live in communion with God and with each other. At the very center of this picture is prayer. These early disciples devoted themselves to prayer, they met with glad and sincere hearts for common meals and praised God. I am convinced that it was their desire to be in God’s presence through teaching, prayer and the breaking of bread that resulted in such unity and service. Prayer is time exposure to God. It takes us into His presence and produces in us a deeper and deeper desire to be like Him. As a youngster living in Hong Kong, I would often go up to what we called the Peak on Hong Kong island. From there you could see a panoramic view of all of Hong Kong. This view was particularly amazing at night when the lights of the skyscrapers, cars and numerous boats, along with the ubiquitous neon signs, could all be seen. What I most loved was to take the peak tram to the top and take time exposures of the view, resulting in all the moving lights on the roads and harbor tracing their paths in brilliant living color. The longer the time exposure, the more amazing the sight. This is a picture of prayer and why I call prayer “time exposure with God.” In prayer, we are in active fellowship with our Lord. The longer we linger there, the more we get to know Him, because this is a two way conversation. In talking to Him about needs or giving Him thanks, our hearts start to realign with His. Our needs and concerns are given to him and in our thanksgiving we realize how good He is to us. He strengthens us, encourages us, and even may drop answers or direction into our hearts as we spend time with Him. Don’t just settle for perfunctory time with God, but linger a bit and allow Him to speak to your heart. I think of prayer as the bookends of my day. Starting my day with prayer sets my mind and heart in a place where I am ready to follow Him. Ending my day with prayer gives me a chance to thank Him for His faithfulness and ask for His presence, power, and help. Of course, during the day there can be many shorter prayers, but these bookends give our lives a rhythm of time exposure to our Savior. You cannot do this and remain the same. Father, it is an amazing thing that You desire to fellowship with us. That You delight in our presence with You and that You would enter our lives in an active way as we pray. Give me the desire to spend more time with You both as an individual, with my family, and with my fellow pilgrims. As we do, would You help us recapture the passion and purpose of the early church. Amen.

I don’t meet many people who think they are very good at prayer. It may be that we have a faulty concept of what prayer looks like. We have this picture of men and women of God spending hours on their knees in prayer, and certainly there have been and are those who do so. The truth is that for most of us prayer is a conundrum. We don’t think we are good at it, our minds wander, and we pretty much feel like we are failures, at least when measured against some unknown measure of what prayer should be. So let's try to simplify prayer. I love the Lord’s prayer because, in that prayer, Jesus teaches us that prayer can be simple. We are praying to the Lord who is in heaven and whose name is honored and holy. We pray that His will will be done through us today, just as His will is done in heaven. We ask that He would provide our daily needs and forgive our sin, as we forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask him to lead us in paths of righteousness and deliver us from the evil one. And we are reminded that His is the power and glory for ever and ever. There is nothing complex about the prayer itself but the themes have amazing reach.  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law back in the day would construct elaborate prayers and make a show of their supposed piety. Jesus says, no! Simply talk to me about the important things. Keep it simple, keep it real and be reminded of what is important to me. This last concept is important. We often come to God with all of our requests and He invites us to do that. But prayer is what I call time exposure to God. And as our hearts are open in His presence we start to understand His desire for our lives and, rather than our prayers changing His heart in some way, that time exposure changes our hearts and we come into greater alignment with Him.  And remember that prayer is conversation with God. I am not personally good at long blocks of prayer by myself. What I am good at is talking to God throughout the day on all sorts of topics. And it often happens that He talks back. Why should I be surprised? We are in relationship with God and conversation is a two way street. As I talk to Him, he drops insights into my heart often about the very things I was praying about. Remember, prayer is time exposure to God and it ultimately brings our hearts into greater alignment with His heart.  We are encouraged to talk to God on all occasions, about all issues, needs, and concerns. Try walking through your day simply conversing with Him. You will be changed and He will talk back.  Father, I thank you that you're a personal God to whom I can bring any and all of my issues. Give me the gift of walking with you in a conscious way through my day both in conversation with you and listening to you. Amen.

We are all familiar with the word prayer but did you know that Jesus and the Holy Spirit pray for you? We pray to God but God also prays for us. In Romans 8:34 we read this: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Did you get that? The one who died for you and who was raised from the dead, who sits at the right hand of the father is right now also interceding for you.  In Romans 8:26-27 we are told that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf as well. “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 through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”  In those times when we don’t even know how to pray in our confusion or pain, the Holy Spirit is there praying for us and interceding with the Father.  We often see prayer as some sort of obligation on our part. It isn’t as we will see tomorrow. But think of the love and care of God to pray on our behalf, even when we don’t know how to pray. Even when we don’t ask Him to do so! The extent of His love for us is that he died for our sin, was raised from the dead, saves us, sanctifies us, justifies us, fills us with His Spirit, and then intercedes for us with the Father. You and I are constantly being lifted up to the Father because we are the family of God. If you want to get a sense of what God prays for you, read the amazing High Priestly prayer in John 17. There He prays that we will be unified with Him and one another. He prays for our blessing. He prays for our protection from the evil one: “protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” He prays that we would be sanctified by the truth of His word. How amazing is it that even when we are lazy in approaching Him in prayer, He is praying for us. That is the extent of His love for you and I.  As you walk through your day today, engage Him in prayer and thank Him often that He is interceding on your behalf with the Father. And know that in those situations where you don’t even know how to pray that the Spirit is praying for you because the Spirit knows our needs and shares them with the Father. It will be amazing to learn in eternity how God interceded for us in this life. Let that encourage you today. Father, thank you for your intercession on my behalf. Your love and concern is beyond my comprehension. Thank you that you did not only save me but you walk with me through every circumstance in this life. Amen.