Friday, September 29, 2023

When it comes to driving, there is a difference between stopping and yielding. I would argue that stopping is more about waiting, while yielding is more about awareness. While (properly) stopped, you are not capable of gaining any momentum as you wait for your turn to go. On the other hand, yielding often involves increasing your awareness, adjusting your speed in relation to the other drivers, and repositioning yourself if necessary so that you can keep going.

Yield is the last letter and step in the PRAY acronym. It serves as a reminder that we may need to adjust our expectations and our pace as we become aware of God’s will in our life.

Properly yielding is an ongoing issue at roundabouts. Some drivers hesitate, incorrectly making a complete stop when they enter the roundabout instead of yielding. (I’ll admit, I have been known to honk at the person in front of me who stops when I can clearly see they are free to go.) Others recklessly zoom in, cutting off the person in front of them, rather than yielding to the flow of traffic and adjusting their speed accordingly.

Just as these choices have the potential to cause a mess in the traffic circle, our spiritual journey can also be affected when we stop in our tracks out of fear or move out ahead of the Spirit, anxious to get further down the road of life. Instead, we should give God the right-of-way in our life. To do this, we need to become aware of the Holy Spirit during our prayer time, actively seek God’s will, and then respond to his leading.

The Lord’s Prayer offers a simple example of how to pray for God’s will, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NKJV).

Sometimes it’s hard to yield to God because we don’t know what to pray for. Thankfully, we can be assured that even when we don’t have the right words to express ourselves, the Holy Spirit will be praying on our behalf.

Romans 8:26-27
²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Praise, Release/Repent, Act, and Yield—deepening our relationship with God through prayer is easier than we think and more important that we realize. Our Father, who knows us and loves us, knows what we need and will speak to our hearts if we actively seek his will above our own.

Questions:
What area of your life do you need to take a moment to yield to the Holy Spirit?

When was a time that you did not know what to pray about?

Do you actively seek out God's will? If not, why?

Next Steps:
Practice yielding before you go about your day by taking a pause and praying for God's will. Then practice surrendering the results to the Lord.

Ask God to prevent you from doing and saying things that are against his will.

Practice yielding through your posture. Some of the most popular postures for praying are bowing your head or folding your hands. But, it could look different depending on what you are praying for. Some people will pray on their knees to show surrender. Others cover their mouths when complaining.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, help me to yield to the Father’s will instead of my own. If I don’t know what words to pray, help me remember that you will intercede on my behalf. Lord, I pray for spiritual awareness to experience your will and allow it to be done. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

John 14:26
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

This post was written by Becca Roberts, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.