Week 2 - Prayer and Meditation, Part 1

Last week I quoted CS Lewis twice from the great divorce and Mere Christianity will this week? There's another two passages it came out and there was another couple that I was going to look at in future messages. So we might just begin every day with a little CS Lewis. We'll see we'll see where it goes. But this was well perfect for today for the next coming weeks. This is from the Silver Chair one of The Chronicles of Narnia fiction Tales of children that traveled so far away land knots on this present Earth, but the miraculous means they arrived in a in an enchanted land where there is at the head of it all a lion named Aslan. If you not read the stories, I highly recommend them. I cannot recommend them enough and they are not just children's book of sexiest Lewis said that any children's book. That is not good. Enough for an adult to enjoy as well is not worth reading these were made for us as well. And there's very many good truths inside. So in the Silver Chair this boy named Eustace scrubb and yes, he was how his name sounded he was a spoiled little scrubby brat in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader but things happen which were going to talk about when we talk about fasting we'll talk about what happened to Eustace but in his second trip to Narnia, he's grown up a bit and he comes with a girl her name is Jill pole and it is our first time there. She's heard a bit about Narnia Eustace as told her about talking animals, but she meets one for the first time they arrive on this Plateau with Aslan but Eustace has gone on ahead and he actually she thought he'd flown off the cliff because of her fault, we learn different later. But while she is there by herself She wakes up. She's incredibly thirsty. And so she wakes up and she sees a lion and he says if you're thirsty you may drink they were the first words. She had heard since scrub had spoken to her on the edge of the cliff for a second she stared here and they're wondering who had spoken in the voice that again if you are thirsty come and drink and of course you remembered what scrub it said about animals talking in that other world and she realize that it was the lion speaking. Anyway, she has seen its lips move this time in the voice was not like a man's it was deeper Wilder stronger a sort of heavy goldenvoice. It did not make her any less frightening than she had them before but it made her frightened in a different way. Are you not thirsty said the line? I'm dying of thirst schedule. Can drink said the lion? May I could I would you mind going away while I do said she'll the line answered this only by look at very low growl as Jill gays got its motion was bolt. She realized she might have asked the whole Mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious Rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. Will you promise not to do anything to me? If I do come said Jill I make no promises said the line Jill was so thirsty. Now that without noticing it should come a step closer. Do you eat girls? She said I have swallowed up girls and boys women and men Kings and Emperors cities and Realms said the lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting Knorr's as if it were sorry nor as if it were angry. It just said it lie. Daren't come and drink said Jill. Then you will die of thirst said the lion o'dear City Jail come another step nearer. I suppose I must go look for another stream then. There is no other stream said the lion. Have you not read the stories? Might become apparent that the lion is Christ it in that world it is it is he serves as the Christ figure in fact at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader the D4 who first came are told they're never going to come back and they're heartbroken. And this one always gets me he tells me don't worry. You need to stay in your land and learn me there by another name. And so in these books Christ figure and we're not talking so we're not talking about lions here. We're talking about we're not timeout River what we're talking about receiving living water and this encounter with an uncontrollable Fierce God that is how a son is pictured and it's it's perfect in the lion Witch and the Wardrobe before the children had met ass when they heard of him when they were meeting was with mr. And mrs. Beaver and having tea. And so, mr. Beaver says if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking there either braver than me or else just silly. Then he isn't safe. Ask Lucy safe said Mr. Beaver. Who said anything about safe course, he isn't safe. But he's good. And so the pictures of Christ we received throughout are so beautiful in the lion Witch and the Wardrobe. Our first text today we're going to look at is where a woman comes to Jesus the lion of Judah and he asks her for a drink. But she has something to give her that's even better. She returns me to John chapter 4. This will be one of the two main places we camp today. And I'm going to read verses four through 5 through 14. I suggest you read the whole story when you go home tonight, cuz you'll see how it applies in different areas. But this is the meat of what we'll be talking about today. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water and Jesus said you were giving me a drink for his disciples of Gone Away into the city to buy food there for the Samaritan woman said to him. How is it that you being a Jew ask me for a drink since I'm a Samaritan woman the double being there and it's John explains for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans and men would have no dealings with with women. So but he asks her Jesus answered and said to her if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you. Give me a drink you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. She said to him so you have nothing to draw with in the well is deep. Where then do you get this living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob. Are you who gave us this well and drink of it himself and his sons in his cattle and Jesus said were everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. Jesus has something more than mere water for her. And as with Jill pole and Aslan, there is no other well. And also like Jill like the Samaritan woman. I think we each of us hope that we can come to the well, we can come to the stream. We can perceive God on our own terms with it that he will not do something to us. Like Jill was afraid of that. He will not eat us that he will not do anything too radical to us. But like Aslan says I make no promise. We come to the well, we come to the stream. He does not promise to leave us unchanged and friends. There is no other stream and he will do something radical to us. He will transform us and that's the goal yet Romans 12 where to get into that a little bit later but being transformed that is the goal transform from what we were to what we are meant to become. I make no promise replies the lion. I want to share with you something from Gregory of Nyssa. What are the cappadocian fathers that we talked about in our study in Acts 29 we talk about some of the early church fathers. We talked about the cappadocians Gregory was a Gregory of Nyssa and basil and Gregory Ignacio Montes. Will Gregory of Nyssa has this to say Christ is like a pure untainted stream. If you draw from him the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart. You will show a likeness to Christ your source and origin as the cleaning water in a jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained. We will show a likeness to Christ your source and your origin as the gleaning water in a jar represents the flowing water from which it was obtained like this water right here. That's good. This is a Fiji Water fancy water. It was actually it is imported from Fiji. From a source where the water flows over volcanic rock and it takes on a pure flavor the minerals there are unique and it creates one of the most refreshing pure Waters that you can buy.

So Gregory of Nyssa points out. That when we come to the well that is to the stream. We come to Christ like us the stream. We show a likeness to Christ just like this water in the gleaning jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained. So when we go to a source we see the water and we take it out and we bring it back. This water is the same water that we received from The Source. This is what it looks like when it comes out. And so we two friends we become like the source when we draw from the living water we draw from the stream that hasn't talked about the well, they're the Living Water that Jesus talks about we are transformed into his image and this in the whole scope of our study this Divine life, especially our topics today and the next couple of weeks. Prayer and meditation especially their information station is going to that stream. It's going there and drawing from the well drawing from that living water and drinking deeply and Gregory of Nyssa says rightly if we drawn him we begin to show a likeness to Christ Our source and origin. And so recognize God's greatest desire for you. This is his greatest desire the very purpose of the Christian Life The Very purpose of being a Christian is not just salvation like we talked about last week, not your get out of hell free card. Do not pass go do not collect $200 getting out of Hell Freezes not salvation that is not the purpose of our Christian life. But it is Romans 8:29 being conformed to the image of his son being made to look like to resemble the water. That is our source. And so we go to the source and we go repeatedly now back and John the woman at the well almost had it right but not quite. She said to him sir. Give me this water. Yes got that right give me this water so that I won't get thirsty not quite catching on lady. And so I will I get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water sea, give me this water. Yes, so I will not be thirsty. Not the point Noir come all the way here to draw. You. See she wants a water that does not require her to keep going back. She is not she wants a water that does not require anything of her friends this in our life. The Christian life is not a well that you draw from once you are saved and you retire and wait to dye. That is not what we do. That is not what we are made for we are made to be conformed to the image of his son. And so about prayer this is the coming to the well, this is the drawing deep and drinking the water. And so when I talked about how you do it what prayer is and I was talking to Chris wasn't here today by the talking to him on Wednesday and we got coffee together and I told him that my my conundrum is like how in the world am I going to share everything that I had that I feel I should about prayer in a week. How am I going to cover all of this and weak any for that matter? How am I going to cover the participation in the Divine life then spiritual disciplines and drawing near to God and in 10-12 weeks. I'm not but it's a start and a prayer prayer in a week. I wouldn't and I'm not going to cover it in two or three weeks, but he did say and you don't have to do it all at once. So we're going to spend a couple weeks on this idea of Prayer. And there are some that I have heard say that's the best way to till to learn prayer is is just by doing it that learning comes by doing it at and that is true. Yes, but sometimes we need direction. We need a little help. We need a little understanding. I mean remember the disciples needed that with the Lord's prayer that we prayed earlier today. The disciples came and said Lord what they say kids somebody tell me. Lord teach us to pray The Lord teaches and so we have need for direction and get that. Hopefully I will be able to provide some of that for you we get direction from book, but we need to be directed this but it is to create a pattern and that's what we'll talk about next week. The Lord's Prayer is it teaches us a pattern to operate off of until we can make it our own we can still pray the Lord's Prayer we should but we adopt it to set our own formula formula. Let me just read what I put Tweet. We adopt a pattern and practice to set the format as it were given the pattern that's it. We're giving the pattern to learn to learn how to walk. I watch a video of Findlay learning how to block the other day. I was watching it. She was wearing a couple years ago and she was toppling and she was falling over she's doing the whole you no hurry up and get over to a table thing and it was cute. I am we would help her and she learned how to walk but it took steps it took guidance. And so we two we will be we will be taught to toddle a to end it will be set loose and it will learn how to walk until where we finally learn how to run. So how do you have a vibrant prayer life? This is the Centre communion with God is our Center in our purpose in prayer. As one of the most that it was is the best way I want to look at another word. It is the central way that we enter into the presence of God and commune with him. So, how do we learn how to pray? We just do it do it or do we need to learn? Like I said the disciples needed it. So where do we start school this week? We're in a tarp start with some of the direction and next week if and maybe 3 weeks some of the how to know some of the styles that types of prayer that we see in scripture but we start like last week. We said we still the participation of the Divine Life starts with waiting on God will prayer starts with being called. We're beat being called with into his work and our participation it starts with his call and his help st. Bonaventure 1217 to 1274 wrote this in the Journey of the mind to God. He says however much that the steps of our interior progress may be well-ordered we can do nothing. Unless Divine Aid support us. This Divine Aid is at hand for all who seek it with a truly humble and devout heart that is by sighing for it in this Valley of Tears by fervent prayer prayer. This is the mother and origin of every upwards driving of the Soul. Prayer is our beginning point where we begin to walk into the presence of God where we begin to experience God. It's the last week we talked about the whole process begins with the waiting and prayer is the same because you do have to begin with waiting and entering into his presence this thinking on him and entering into his presence and as this is called in scripture. This is the meditation to about prayer and meditation that meditation is setting that stage is entering into the Lord's presence and it's not like Eastern meditation you some of this some of the Eastern religions are Buddhist monks to tell her they meditate with their purpose is to empty the mind that that is that is their goal isn't emptying of of the South But the Christian of this meditation we read of in scripture is much different. It is a filling with the mind of Christ is for the film the purpose of Christian meditations for being filled with the presence of God. So we enter into his presence of scripture. It is replete with examples of this you want to write some of these down Joshua 1:8 the command to Joshua as he is now Leading the People Moses has passed out the scene. They're going into the promised land right off the bat his command was this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. We shall meditate on it day and night so you may be careful to do all that is written in it to meditate on it Day and Night song one one again. Beginnings are foundational principles. Beginning of songs how blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of Sinners your seat sit in the seat of scoffers. But his Delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season in the hand. I sent home with you last week from Psalm 63 we read I remember you on my bed. I meditate on you in the night watches and then finally Philippians 4:8 finally Brethren. What is whatever things are true? Whatever things are noble whatever things are. Just whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy worthy meditate on these things, Now if you have another translation, you might have completed that in your head think on these things the nasb that I use says that whatever is good and pure Noble think on these things but the Heat and the Greek word here is the same to think is to meditate to meditate is to think to fill the mind. She knows all of these are a feeling of the mind to fill the mind with God and most importantly to meditate is to be aware of the presence of God to invite him in for he is there he is here but it is to become aware of his presence aware of where you are sitting and to enter into that place. I still have some of these on the table back there from last week, but timeout Psalm 63 down here right off the bat and rumor is Chloe's as in Waiting upon God the first thought is of the god upon whom we wait that friends meditation when you come into His presence when you acknowledge his presence there and you enter in and your first thought is to think on him to think upon the God on whom we wait and so in Richard Foster book, I don't think I had it here but a celebration of discipline he has a chapter on meditation and he says that it is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word. So when we begin we begin to Christian Life would begin by waiting. We move into this meditation on God and into prayer and you remember Revelation chapter 3 verse 20 the letter to the Church of laodicea. We just went through this remember what he says behold. I stand at the door and knock and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me remember this is written to Believers. Is it is it is a verse that is good for evangelism. Say your Jesus knocking on the door of your heart invite him in let him come in and eat with you, but this is written to us. SOS by meditation we talked about creating that space and opening that door that allows Christ to come in. To come in and eat with you to dine with you and remember a couple months ago. We talked about this idea of sinking down deep into Christ. Being full of his presence and just thinking on him and sitting and Sinking Deep into his presence that is meditation where you move from this idea of the presence of God is some some ephemeral reality you some idea. You move from the idea that yeah, I know God is here. Into where you realize that he is present and you enter into his presence Chuck Smith. One of the books I had says it is that spontaneous natural result of the conscious awareness of God. And so yes, we can talk with God at any time. We can as we're in the car. We don't have we don't have time off. Sometimes we don't have two times to to block out the world and ginger deep into his presence for prayer. We can pray anytime and anywhere and we should but remember we're also talking about it within the scope of our study this intent living of the Christian Life. And if our prayer is only these times of or thank you for this meal. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my friends. And please bless everybody amen. But that is the only thing that your prayer is limited to you are greatly lacking you are not entering into his presence and sitting deep sinking down in his presence and if we are to grow into christlikeness, if we are to be transformed into His Image, we have to be intent on some of these things and Paul when he says whatever things are true Noble just pure lovely a good report any virtue anything praiseworthy worthy meditate on these things. He's not just talking about you and remember these things in passing think on good things as well. This is active and intentional punctuated moments in time. But the goal and this is where we're going to transition today and will will will pick up next week. We'll see how far we get today. The goal is christlikeness and sanctification. The goal is being like him with the whole of our being so why we can have both these punctuated moments of sitting deep in his presence. And while we can have these shorter times of prayer at meals in the morning. Maybe you don't have maybe wake up late don't have time to sit with him before the day and you open with prayer or you close quickly at the end of the day with prayer you pray throughout the day both of these are important and what it what should happen though is all those pumps with all those those moments of prayer throughout the day all of that should flow. From your deeper moments of Prayer in communion with him that intentional relational communion with the Lord is why last week we talked about waiting on the Lord and setting us apart sometime making time not finding time, right? So you won't find it. It doesn't exist. You have to make it you have to set it aside. So doing that and making this time to spend with the Lord the rest of our life the rest of our prayer life the rest of our communion with him throughout the day. Should be informed by that. It should be built up by that and so these moments of time with God Spread spread into our lives. And effect everything 1st Thessalonians 5 16 through 18 says this Rejoice always. pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Pray without ceasing. As to why we enter into the presence of God In Prayer. It also should become a habit of Life a habitual way of living of communicating and communing with the Lord as Adam and Eve did in the garden as they walk with him as a talk with him in unbroken Fellowship. That is how we should begin to live in bounce. One of the Masters of writing books on prayer said that it is to live in his presence in uninterrupted fellowship. And that is ghoul the goal to live in that recognitions live in his presence in uninterrupted Fellowship to practice. Continually the presence of God to to pray without ceasing doesn't mean that you walk around with your eyes closed. It does not mean that you fold your hands and bow your head while you're driving in the car not a great idea, but you still be in this in prayer, but in this continued attitude of prayer this continued recognition of his presence in your in your life as we begin to practice the presence of the Lord Brother Lawrence, I didn't see a month from 1611 to 1691 and you can't see from this picture but what he has in his hands there actually is it is a pot. He's cooking. He was a cook in a monastery you a very simple guy very unknown guy until somebody met met him and he made it his goal in life to practice the presence of God to be able to walk with God continually consistently and faithfully and he was just a month in a monastery. Cooked for the other months. He was no well-known guy and somebody found out about brother Lawrence and and his his goal his effort and went and met with him talk with him. So his book consists of four five conversations and the four five letters from Brother Lawrence to this guy, but it has become a 400 years later. This is become a Christian Classic and so it's a good work right now by him doesn't work practicing the presence of God, but it's a work about him but there's an important principle in there that I want to bring out and it's his aim to be consistent and guys when we Strive to practice the presence of God when we move into his presence and we look to do it. We don't need to feel down or condemned when we fail. Here's what brother Lawrence rights. When he had failed in his duty or nights are this listen thing of interviewing him learning from him when he had failed in his duty. He only confessed his fault same to God. I shall never do. Otherwise if you leave me to myself it is you who must hinder my falling and mend. What is a Miss then after this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it in the next chapter chapter 3 verses heartfelt goal was to think of nothing. But God if he did allow some time to pass without thinking of him. He did not grow upset about it. Once he confessed his weakness to God he returned to him with all the more confidence and joy, And so he when he slipped and fell I love that phrase. I will never do anything. Otherwise, if you leave me to myself any place itself in the hands of God is you who must hinder my falling and mend what is admit a mess and then he gave himself no further uneasiness about it. He received the grace of God picked up self up and continued walking and this brings me to the last Point practice. I know there's that phrase the practice of the presence of God and it does mean it means they continue to action of you and we practice something but it really is practice. It is practicing doing something if you don't know if you remember but all the way back in Acts chapter 1 and 2, there is a phrase that really stuck out that it really struck me and it was Acts chapter 1 verse 14 and 242. They say this these all with one mind we're continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers and Acts 2:42 says they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to Fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Anna and I struggle everyday struggle but it was just like that conviction. What does it mean to be devoted to be devoted to prayer as we are urged to the same very thing Romans chapter 12 women. Turn before says we are we are to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect. And you remember what that will have got is it is your sanctification is your being made. Holy 1st Thessalonians 4 chapter 3 the rest of Romans chapter 12, he goes on to describe what it looks like but in I'm going to read it from here. Romans chapter 12 verses 9 through 13

He says the same thing let love be without hypocrisy abhor. What is evil cling to what is good this part of this transformation be devoted to one another in brotherly love give preference to one another in honor not lagging behind and diligence fervent in spirit serving the lord rejoices and hope persevering and tribulation devoted to prayer contributing to the needs of the Saints and practicing Hospitality. We are told we are urge to be devoted to prayer. So how do you do that? How does one? Be devoted it. So faithful to prayer well to be devoted means to be faithful as if he faithful means to consistent be consistent and part of this is like I said earlier we started that how do you do indeed you just do what you just go for in part of it is that and we can learn a lot and we will be but part of it is just getting out and doing it practicing it when you learn something new or or you want to get better at something if you gave it just 20 minutes a day Faithfully every day. You would not only eventually learn it be with excel at it. I don't think I remember Steve Martin Saturday Night Live in and mini movie me funny movies from the 80s and 90s Steve Martin when he started out as a young guy wanted to be a comedian, but he was young. He didn't know if anybody listen to me. He thought that nobody really pay attention to him being this young guy. So he thought you need to have a little street cred. He needed to show that he had a little Talent as though you wanted to learn the banjo. And so he picked up the banjo, but he found it playing. The banjo is really hard it you don't get good overnight as a rather than trying to master it immediately. He devoted himself to practice 20 minutes a day and I hope you know that Steve Martin today actually has won Grammy awards for 4 for his banjo players bluegrass music. There you go, 20 minutes a day. He became proficient he began to excel at it. And it was not his is overwhelming Zeal that consumed him. They created that it was his consistency that transformed him. It made him that consistency made in hand into someone who is excellent as what they what they did and this friends is what it means to be devoted. To be devoted and so the call for us is to be holy. And none of us are going to be perfect. But every one of us can be consistent every one of us can devote ourselves to prayer so that it is important in our day. Steve Martin Can play the banjo for 20 minutes a day? You can pray for 20 minutes a day. You can do it we can do this and so by showing up again and again and again day after day in all circumstances because it's easy to do it on the days where it feels good. It's easy to go out and practice football or baseball or the banjo on the days when you're feeling it or prayer on the days when you are feeling it when all is going well. But the hard times of the most important cuz that's when you push through when you don't feel like doing it and so the spiritual life we like to rely on intensity and rely on passion right in our in our worship in our prayer and everything has to be intense and passionate but you can't rely on that. You can't rely on that constant intensity and passion cuz it'll let you down. No one is going to be consistent. If all they rely on is wanting to do it or relying on that intensity and passion and I'll tell you this consistency consistency beats intensity every time you wanted to go to anything baseball football pitching whatever you do drawing being consistent will transform you and so there's a spray. I know in conjunction with baseball. You have to learn to love the process. You have to learn to love the process. You're not going to get there overnight and it's not just about that in point. It's not just about getting their becoming the best baseball player in the world. But if you're going to be good, do you have to learn to love the process and then our spiritual lives folks? We have we talked about this goal this in point this tell us this likeness unto Christ. But to get there we have to learn to love the process as he works in us, so don't get discouraged. I don't feel like doing it today. Do it. Anyway learn to love the process and if I can train myself to be consistent in that to be able to do it and any weather if you're Talkin Baseball to do it in any attitude and mood 20 minutes a day. You will become that faithfulness that devotion you will become an expert at prayer e m Bounds at Andrew Murray. These guys did not learn prayer overnight. But if we do it consistently Faithfully will be transformed and imagine you do this 20 minutes a day spend time with the Lord. Imagine what you would look like in 20 years. Imagine the person that you would be in 20 years. I can guarantee you not be praying login 20 minutes. In addition. It would be a joy and I guarantee you you would be transformed even more into the image of Christ. Trust that trust the process love the process and get started today started this week as we're going through this study together. We are doing this together last week. We would we talked about last week. I'm going to ask you that so I can take a drink what we talked about last week.

That's it, Daniel RX waiting on the Lord the beginning of the life waiting and I Told You So this week make a Time find a place where you can meet with God. We're in this together. I went and did that I've been wanting to have my dinh available for some time, but it keeps getting full of stuff. I won't mention any recent names, but what do I come out? I'm sorry, dear. But she know she helped greatly last week. She the week before she she claimed it out there still some my box and stuff, but I was able to get to my desk where I've committed. That's where I'm going to meet with the Lord. And so this week I was able to sit there and wait and meet with him guys. I'm in this process to I've been doing various things for a long time, but I want to be more faithful. I want to be more consistent. I want to be more devoted because I want to look like Christ I want when I walk down the street like we sang that song the fourth song second-to-last. I want people when I walk down the street to meet Jesus, I want to look like Jesus and get things. I don't if you never known me for longer than 10 seconds, you know that I'm a failure so that I failed constantly, but I have some successes. I want to have more guys. This should be our goal and our desire as well. And so I'm here with you. I have set aside just last week finally have my place to meet with the Lord to wait on him. So this week what are you going to do with me? I'm going to go practice the art of meditation and prayer. I'm going to begin like last week with the waiting on the Lord. I'm going to think on him and think on these things place my mind and my focus on him be filled with him and then enter into prayer and communion with him. And we're going to talk more about prayer next week some of the house some of the some of the what you can do, and we're going to talk about that. But for this week Begin by entering into his presence setting aside that time. So this week in Turin? Sit with him. Drink from the Stream. Drink from the living water open the door. Let him die in with you and commune. Commune with him get to know him and let him know you let him know your heart cry out to him. Let him know your struggle sit down as with a friend at a meal. And eat with him drink from the stream with him. And there is the quotes. Romans 8 26 through 27. So helpful in this time in the same way the spirit also helps our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we should but the spirit himself intercedes with us with groanings too deep for words, and he who searches the hearts and knows what the mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God. Meet with the Lord this week enter in sit in silence to sit deep into him. Drink from the stream and fellowship with him. We're doing this together. What you guys get a bunch of slackers and leave me behind. I'm not going to be a slacker. We're to do this together come and meet with the Lord as we begin to enter into the Divine life together. Let us pray.