On the Great British Baking Show we see bakers doing their very best to get a handshake from Paul Hollywood, baker extraordinaire. Especially during bread week. He is famously critical saying “not proofed enough” and walking away from even a taste. “There’s dough in the middle of the bread. The bakers are all shaking in their boots. Yeast will make it all rise, but then there is kneading and proofing for things to come out perfect. Even experienced kneaders have a bad day.
Now, if I can give you the image of the Holy Spirit with an apron on—the quintessential breadmaker. There the dough will have perfection. The yeast is the Gospel inside of us. The Spirit keeps pushing and prodding, then lets us rest a bit to see if we will grow. Then it is back to the kneading table and again we are pushed and pulled up and back until there seems to be no more the Spirit can do. The ingredients are there. Sometimes it is the right time to prove us but we resist the baking. One day it is seriously just right at all points and we are bread for the world. We have changed our lives.
Romans 8 puts our worries to rest about how we are made into true Christians. Maybe it is a Holy Mystery and no work of the Holy Spirit. Example if you will allow: Part of being Christian is learning how to pray. We all feel anxious about out loud prayer at some time. Paul says though that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. In Greek the sighs are inexpressible longings. This should put our minds at ease about praying. We can pray as we are able, even our worst prayer has good intention.
When we pray for someone, we intercede for them. We plead on behalf of someone else. The Holy Spirit pleads for us. When life gets hard, we remember to pray and the Holy Spirit picks up your innermost intensions and pleads for us. And then, if that does not encourage us enough, Paul even says “we know that all things work together for the good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose”(vs 28). “Called” also means “the invited.” In other words, whatever happens, God uses that to work for the good of people who are called. That is beautiful. We are getting a really good rise on the dough if we are already here.
What if someone asks us to pray for them? Do one step more than say yes. I didn’t start trying to pray for most of my life—not aloud anyway. Then I noticed some similarities about praying for someone. Prayers started with today and thanks. Then they mentioned the person and why we are praying for them. Ask in Jesus name. It is like a recipe for the perfect bread. It is something that takes practice, but once the proponents are right, there will be risen bread to bake. Simple. Just be honest, simply from the heart and you will find the words with the Spirit’s help.
Practice. take heart: “If God is for us, who is against us?” (vs 31) Come to Romans 8 when you need assurance that you too can pray. Nothing separates us from praying to God after all.