“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
(Romans 8:26–27 ESV)
Quite often, in life, we’re at a complete loss. We don’t know what to do in the face of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We don’t know which course of action will benefit us the most. And we don’t know which course of action is within the will of God.
For this reason, as we pray, we don’t even know what we should ask. The only thing we know how to do is to express to God our dilemma. The only thing we know how to do is express to him the way that we feel. And, quite honestly, we don’t feel that this is enough.
We feel that more needs to be said. These prayers seem to us empty and hollow. And we fear that we cannot receive God’s help, we fear that we will not receive his blessing, if we’re unable to find a way to put it into words.
We also struggle knowing our tendency to approach God with the wrong attitude. We struggle knowing that we sometimes approach him with a sinful attitude. We struggle knowing that, quite often, our requests flow from our own selfishness or from our covetous desires rather than a desire for God’s will to be done among us.
God’s grace, however, comes to us in many forms. And we see one such form in the passage above. We see the grace of God even in these times of weakness.
Paul assures us that, as children of God, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Even though we don’t know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit himself intercedes for us. The Spirit of God prays for us. The Holy Spirit brings before the Lord the very prayer that needs to be prayed.
He does so in a way that we cannot. He comes to the Lord with groanings too deep for words. He, in other words, expresses to the Lord those prayers that we’re unable to express.
He intercedes for us rightly. He intercedes for us according to the will of God. He prays the very prayer that God is delighted to answer.
And we are assured that the Lord knows the mind of the Spirit. He knows the mind of the Spirit because their will is One. He knows the mind of the Spirit because they are united in intent and purpose.
We, then, can be assured that these prayers will be answered. We can be assured that the Spirit’s intercession will be answered. We can be assured that our needs will be met according to the will of God.
This, then, fills us with peace. Even when we don’t know the words that need to be expressed, we have confidence that the Lord will act on our behalf. We know that he’ll provide that which will truly bless us.
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