When the Spirit Prays for Us
When the Spirit Prays for Us
When I first read Romans 8:26, I was consumed with gratitude. Can you imagine the gift, honor, and grace involved in the Spirit’s intercession for us? Intercession means to “act on the behalf of someone else.” The Spirit does this for us every single time we pray. What comfort we can gain from this amazing knowledge. Paul spoke about the Holy Spirit’s work in Romans 8. In this chapter, we find six ways the Holy Spirit prays for us.
Six Ways the Holy Spirit Prays for Us
1. The Holy Spirit prays for us in a power we don’t own. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Romans 8:26) Our weakness will run out, but the Holy Spirit will keep going. When you fall asleep, are too weak, or just emotionally exhausted, the Spirit of God steps in and gives you the strength you need to continue in prayer.
2. The Holy Spirit prays for us with wisdom we lack. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26) Do you ever feel like you have no idea what you are doing? When I was first handed my child I thought, “I hope they know I have no clue what to do!” Sometimes our lives seem completely chaotic and we don’t even know what to pray. The Spirit walks beside us and whispers the wisdom we need.
3. The Holy Spirit prays for us in mercy we could never fathom. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1) Although Satan would like to feed us lies like “You don’t belong here….God doesn’t love you…..and you are unworthy…” The Spirit stands in the gap and says mercy and grace live here. He is the one who shouts there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!
4. The Holy Spirit prays for us with a connection we don’t possess. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35) Who better to bring our requests to the Father than the Spirit? Being a part of the Trinity they possess a connection beyond what we can imagine. Nothing can separate us from the Father because the Spirit is that bond.
5. The Holy Spirit prays for us with God’s will in mind. “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:27) Sometimes I am so tired and I can’t pray. It is when this happens I need to lean on the Holy Spirit. We might not know what to say, but the Spirit knows. Who better to know what God’s will is for our lives than the third Person of the Trinity!?
6. The Holy Spirit prays for us with LOVE we can’t contain. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) Finally, you cannot escape the last part of these verses. The Spirit will always love us and nothing can separate us from His love. It is with this love the Spirit speaks to the Father on our behalf.
When our hearts are lonely and we don’t know what to say or how to pray, the Spirit steps up. So sit back and let Him step up and pray for you today.
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Sarah E. Frazer is a writer and Bible study mentor at sarahefrazer.com. She is the wife of Jason and mother of five who all serve as full-time missionaries in Honduras. Her passion is to encourage women to fall in love with the Bible. Sarah is the author of several Bible study resources for women. She shares tools for deep-rooted Bible study at sarahefrazer.com. Follow her on Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/sarah_e_frazer) and join her free prayer challenge at sarahefrazer.com/prayer