PERFECT PRAYERS | PASTOR MATTHEW JOHNSON

What happens when you don't even know what to pray for? In this message titled Perfect Prayers, Pastor Matthew Johnson continues The Tree Church's series on the Holy Spirit, teaching from Romans 8:18-39 on how the Spirit helps believers in their weakest, most confusing seasons.

Pastor Matthew begins with Psalm 23's declaration, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," reframing it as a statement of trust rather than a promise that every desire will be met. He then walks through Paul's teaching that present suffering, though real and never minimized, is outweighed by the future glory believers are promised. Using the image of creation groaning and believers groaning as they wait for full redemption, Pastor Matthew shares personal stories, including his wife's experience in childbirth and his own accident falling off a ladder, to describe what it looks like to hurt too deeply for words.

He then unpacks Romans 8:26-27, teaching that in these moments, the Holy Spirit intercedes for believers with groanings too deep for words, praying prayers that are always perfectly aligned with God's will and always answered. Pastor Matthew closes with Romans 8:28-39, reminding listeners that all things work together for good and that nothing, no circumstance, no failure, and no fear, can separate a believer from the love of God.

This message continues The Tree Church's Holy Spirit series. Watch to learn how to trust the Spirit's help when you don't have the words to pray.