Our daily life should be founded on prayer and Bible reading. But it’s not always easy. We lack motivation, we’re easily distracted, and we’re not always sure what we should be praying for or why we need to read certain passages. God knows that we can struggle with these things, that’s why He helps us through the Holy Spirit: ‘The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father…knows…what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us…in harmony with God’s own will’ (vv. 26-27 NLT). This means that no matter how we feel when we pray, the Holy Spirit joins in prayer with us, and for us, transforming our weakest prayers into powerful appeals to God the Father. And when it comes to reading God’s Word – the Bible – the Holy Spirit is equally involved. Jesus said, ‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come’ (John 16:13 NIV). This verse shows us that the Holy Spirit does three things: 1) He guides us as we study the Word of God and seek to understand it. 2) He takes what Jesus wants us to know and reveals it to us. The Spirit can show us new things from verses we’ve read many times before. 3) He opens our understanding about things that are still to come. Books, Scripture-based resources, and skilled Bible teachers can be really helpful, but they’re no substitute when it comes to hearing from the Holy Spirit for ourselves and listening carefully to what He wants to tell us.

What Now?

Pick a chapter of the Bible. Before you read, ask the Spirit to show you something new from it.