Romans 8: Holy Spirit and Prayer
Romans 8:26-27
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27 NASB1995
I have used this photo before in one of my devotionals because it tells such a vivid story. This man is on his knees in a prayer that is truly deeper than words that he can say as he brings his concerns to God. Prayer is indeed a difficult thing. Steve and I do a weekly (or sometimes more often) hour of intercessory prayer and we use a script to do the prayer; we each pray alone in different parts of the house. We have prayers that we pray that are put together by our church and we follow the ACTS format for our own section of prayers (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). When we first started doing this hour of prayer, we had no idea how to fill that time. The world, even in a small corner of the house, is certainly distracting place. I often focus on the script and what is coming up instead of the words I should be praying at that moment. I stop to listen to what God wants and immediately start thinking about something else (dinner, that movie we watched, the bright sunshine outside). One of my favorite parts of prayer now is going through a very long (and growing) list of things to be thankful for; I have been spending more time on Thanksgiving every week. I have also started to recognize areas of supplication that need more time and focus because of inner promptings during prayer. But prayer still falls into an area of human weakness. Even the most devout Christian leader (like Paul) will tell you that prayer is hard work!
The good news is that the Holy Spirit is with us in our prayers! Our human weaknesses carry over into prayer, but because we are justified and working toward sanctification, the Holy Spirit guides our internal groaning (when we can’t even make the words) and brings our petitions forward. For example, we often don’t know how to pray when a loved one is very ill. We want them with us (we’re focused on our selfish wants and this life) but God may answer the prayer by relieving their suffering and taking them into his Glory. The Holy Spirit will help us understand the “bigger picture” of God’s purpose and direction. I wrote in a previous devotional on Romans 8 that recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is life-changing! This is one of many places that the Holy Spirit is crucial, in our prayers and petitions to God. We are so blessed to live in this age where the Comforter and Counselor comes to us now in this mortal life before we are joined with God the Father and our Lord Jesus in eternal life. Every day is Pentecost and every action we take is in the hands of the Spirit of God, hovering over the waters of our darkness and bringing us light.
New Testament scholar and Baptist Pastor John Piper tells us how to move beyond weakness and despair in our prayers:
When you feel very weak, because of suffering or decay or sickness or futility or persecution or failed plans or baffling decisions, don't despair, as if God is angry with you or at your inability to know what to do or what to pray. At that very moment, experience the wordless groanings of your heart as groanings for the glory of Christ. And trust the Spirit of God to intercede for you about the specifics. Trust him, that because he is praying for you, your Father will bring about decisions and circumstances that will magnify Christ in the best way – in the very midst of your ignorance and groaning.
My next devotional will examine Romans 8:28 - All Things for the Good.
John Piper and his collection of sermons and devotionals are found on Desiring God. If you are on Facebook, I highly recommend following this organization, which includes other writers and resources.