TD Jakes - Prayer Partners - Part 2 (10/16/2023)
The brilliant Apostle Paul humbly admits "we know not what we should pray for as we ought," revealing that even the sharpest intellect has limits and needs the Holy Spirit's partnership to intercede perfectly, filling our voids when we vulnerably confess emptiness and cry out for God's help.
What drew me to the text is for Paul to say, "We know not," we do not even know what to pray for, we do not even know what to pray for. If I told you how many times I walked in the hospitals where people were on life support and I did not know what to pray for.
It is not that I wanted them to die, but I am not sure that I wanted them to live hooked up to ventilators and respirators, and cannot breathe, and I am not sure that I wanted to wake them up to more Alzheimer's.
Uncertainty in Prayer
And I am not sure that a baby whose heart and liver and lungs are born outside of its body, that I want it to wake up to more pain. And we know not what to pray for about the marriage, we do not know what to pray for.
You are single and you do not know whether to ask for a companion or not. You are scared to ask for a companion, because all your girlfriends got one and they are trying to get rid of them, and you do not know whether you are better off by yourself or with somebody.
The Humility of "We Know Not"
We know not. Maybe I am better off by myself, maybe I could do it, but maybe I can do bad by myself, maybe I do better alone, and I do not know what to pray for.
This humility is exacerbated by the contradiction that it comes from an intellectual. The Apostle Paul is one of the most intellectual contributors to the New Testament.
Paul's Intellectual Pedigree
He is in part selected because he is an intellectual, he is absolutely brilliant. He speaks in a multiplicity of languages, so God can use him in various countries because he is bilingual.
Concerning the law, he is zealous. He is a Hebrew of Hebrews, he is from the Tribe of Benjamin. He is a descendant of Saul the king, he has all kinds of power, his pedigree includes being a Pharisee.
The Power of the Human Mind
He is blameless regarding the law, he is respected by the most intellectual crowd. He has been trained at the feet of Gamaliel, he is able to articulate the word of God in a multiplicity of languages.
How could Paul, as big as his head is, acquiesce to the statement, "We know not," when everything about Paul was what he knew? The finite mind, the intellectual mind is deceitful, it has been so successful that it can create arrogance.
The Brilliance of the Mind
The brilliancy of the human mind is the jackal's speed, it is the gorilla's strength, it is the leopard's leap, it is the lion's roar. Our defense in the jungle is the creativity and the brilliancy of the human mind.
To compensate for all of that frailty, He gave me a brain that is brilliant and intellectual. And if there is anything on yourself you are to feed, it is your mind.
Feeding the Mind
People can only enslave you if you do not feed your mind, that is why they do not want you to read, because the more you read and the more you feed your mind, the possibilities become amazing.
I run for my body, I read for my mind, I pray for my soul. Now, there is a workout plan for you, until every part of you has exercised, mind, body and soul.
The Achievements of the Mind
You are no stronger than the way you think. It is with the mind that we serve the Lord. Lay your hands on your head and say, "Lord, touch my mind."
That is my weapon, that is my tool, that is my defense, that is my survival mechanism. Intelligence has created the wheel, it has crafted weapons, it has tamed horses, it has created steam engines.
Limits of Intellect
It has built automobiles, it has cured diseases, it has created aircraft, it has developed telephones, it has done heart surgery, it has created spaceships.
Paul is intellectual, Paul is powerful, Paul is brilliant. Yet he limited intellect in one powerful, prolific statement that requires humility: "We know not."
Knowing What You Don't Know
It is important that you know what you know, but it is more important that you know what you do not. If you know what you know, but you do not know what you do not know, you are still going to mess up.
There has to be a humility to keep you from the arrogance of worshiping at the shrine of your own opinion.
Intelligence Shaped by Exposure
Intelligence is colored by your experience, whatever you experienced in life becomes your intelligence, whatever you read becomes your intelligence.
You can only rise to the height of what you have been exposed to. We tend to avoid what we have not been exposed to.
Paul's Humility Opens the Door
Paul is a prayer warrior, he has modeled prayer for us. Yet, he says, "We know not." It is through this humility, this small nail hole, "We know not," these three small words open up a gateway to partnership.
You partner with people to accessorize your limitations. Until you know what you do not know, you cannot choose a good friend.
Creating a Void for God
The Holy Spirit breaks into Paul's moment at the point of his vulnerability. God fills all space. If you create vacuums, God will fill it.
Whatever God forms, He fills, because God is not attracted to that which is full. Any time you create a void, God will fill it.
Be Empty to Be Filled
You gotta be empty enough to say, "We know not." Because you act like you do not have none, you do not get the anointing that you could get.
God wants to partner with you, God wants to come in like a flood. Stop being so strong and be weak for a minute, because God said His strength is made perfect in your weakness.
Seek God Earnestly
God said, "I want you to seek Me, I am tired of looking for you, I want you to start looking for Me."
If there is anybody in here that is looking for God, holler right now. Shout like you are tired of being empty, shout like you need a breakthrough.
The Abundant Life Through Partnership
You owe it to yourself to find out what would happen if you entered into partnership with God. The abundant life comes when you get the hook up.
God needs submission. He needs you to confess, "I am not as smart, I am not sure, I do not know what to do, I need Your help."