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The Holy Spirit’s Intercession
Reading: Romans 8:26-27
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will
Theme: Sustained by the Spirit and prayer. VV26-27.
Introduction:
In the previous verses we saw how we are living in a groaning creation that’s subject to futility until the second coming of Jesus. We saw that while we are living in this world we are living in the betwixt and between place, the already but not yet tension of living in our earthly bodies. Although we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our wonderful future we still ‘groan inwardly’ as we wait to experience the full freedom of our mortal bodies. In the midst of all this frustration and futility we are sustained by the rock solid hope of God’s promise that greater things are yet to come.
However not only are we sustained by hope we are also sustained by the ‘up close and personal’ indwelling help of the Holy Spirit.
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V26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. In the same way (or likewise) could refer back to the many previous references to the work of the Holy Spirit in this chapter.
A brief review of the work of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8 reminds us again of the rich teaching concerning his work that’s found in this chapter.
Here in V26 were told, The Spirit helps us. There are many references in John’s Gospel to the ‘helper’. E.g John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,(ESV) The Greek word used by John is par-ak'-lay-tos that can be translated,
Intercessor, consoler: - advocate, comforter, Encourager, Counselor or Helper
The Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Weakness describes the condition of all Christians, our “human limitation due to sinfulness.” William Hendriksen. “The limitations of our human condition.” Douglas Moo.
Paul in the previous verses has already described our experience of a futile and frustrated existence as part of this decaying creation; and yet there is an underlying hope. Our experience as Christians is more often than not one of weakness. Yet, paradoxically weakness somehow is the safest place to be if you’re a believer and its causing you to rely on God for strength.
Part of our weakness and limitation is often expressed in the fact that,
We do not know what we ought to pray for,
Notice that Paul says WE do not know. This is not false modesty on his behalf. He was not given to that sort of thing. This was an honest and sober statement of fact that he wanted all Christians to remember. We are all ignorant when it comes to prayer. We do not know. We are all at primary school when it comes to prayer even the so called ‘spiritual giants’!
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT)
What is Paul getting at here in Romans 8? He doesn’t seem to be referring to the How of prayer, the manner or the method. Paul knew the Psalms. He knew great models of all types of prayer. (Intercession, Thanksgiving, Praise, Confession, Petition.) He knew the postures of prayer whether it be kneeling, sitting standing, lifting up his hands or lying flat on his face! He knew the example of the great prayer warriors of the Old Testament. He knew in his own experience the benefits of praying to God in tongues.
Paul knew about prayer from every sort of angle yet he could say. We do not know what we ought to pray for.
He is not talking about the how of prayer as such but ‘what’ of prayer. He seems to be referring to the content of prayer in the given situations we find ourselves in. We often, in our limitations of weakness, don’t know what to pray for. One of the clearest examples is from Paul’s autobiographical statements in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Much has been said about Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ and what it may have been but I don’t want to focus in on that this morning. Whatever it was, it caused Paul to earnestly seek God, “even (as he says) though I have received such wonderful revelations from God.”
It troubled him big time as he struggled before God in prayer. He tells us,
“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
This is an example for us of not knowing what to pray. Paul had to process his request before God, three times before he learned to rest in God’s “answer”. (I put inverted commas around answer because God’s answers are not necessarily information as to why we’re going through what were going through. Sometimes the answer is the needed grace to go through the trial and rest in the knowledge of God’s care even though we don’t know the why or wherefore.)
I’m reminded of a verse in Deuteronomy,
Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
(NLT) “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.
We often feel like King Jehoshaphat who said to God.
2 Chronicles 20:12 we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
These verses in Romans are not justification for not praying. I.e. “We don’t know what to pray…. So let’s just throw in the towel and don’t bother our heads with it anymore. Clearly, that’s NOT what Paul was saying.
Again and again the scriptures encourage us to pray. To pray without ceasing, to labour in prayer, to wrestle in prayer and yet it reminds us here that prayer is not a human enterprise but the workplace of God.
What an amazing promise is given to us.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. There’s something going on here that’s completely beyond our understanding.
The Spirit himself, is personally at work. That’s up close and personal. This is not a picture of God standing coldly at a distance.
The Spirit himself intercedes for us. We have two great intercessors at work on our behalf. (V34 tells us, Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.)
Christ in heaven and the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Groanings to deep for words. ESV)
We don’t know what the Spirit’s groans are like. They are not something that are necessarily audible to us but they are definitely heard and understood by God.
There is a trans-rational aspect to prayer. It’s not irrational but it bypasses our intellect and our analysis. It’s got nothing to do with our intellectual ability or power to articulate.
There’s another aspect here. I don’t know if anybody has ever asked you to say a prayer for their intentions, or promised that they’ll say a prayer for your intentions.(Its happened to me anyhow!) Paul tells us here, the Spirit is at work and whilst we are praying for our intentions the Holy Spirit is praying for Gods intention.
One old commentator and some modern ones think that these groans that words cannot express are a reference to tongues. There is no specific reference to praying in tongues here but surely there is something that has a strong parallel. Paul said in, 1Corinthians 14:2, For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.
VV14-15. For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.
15 Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.
Were reminded by one Christian theologian commenting on this, that, “There is a realm of fellowship with God in which (The Human) spirit enjoys fellowship with (The Holy) Spirit, a realm that transcends the processes of the mind because man is spirit.” Italics mine. George Eldon Ladd.
Obviously there is no clear reference to tongues in this passage in Romans but I think there is a strong parallel in that in both cases something is being prayed that only God can understand. (Unless in the case of tongues its also accompanied by the gift of interpretation.)
However let’s get back to Romans. Not all Christians speak in tongues but the sort of prayer described here in Romans takes place in the heart of all believers. Paul does not seem to portray this reality as rare or exceptional but rather as the common prayer-life of all believers, as they prayerfully struggle though the weakness and limitations of this life.
Paul goes on to explain that though this is beyond our understanding it is not beyond our heavenly Father.
V27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
And he who searches our hearts. Throughout scripture God is described as the one who searches our hearts and minds. E.g. Jeremiah 17:9-10. I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.
Psalm 139:1-3, 23-24. O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
No doubt as God continually searches our heart he not only hears and understands our ‘inward groans’ but he also hears and understands the yearning and groans that the Spirit makes on our behalf. The Holy Spirit makes perfect intercession on our behalf. As one old song put it ‘He knows what I need. Yes indeed He knows what I need.’
Our hearts are the interface between heaven and earth. In our heart is the place where all our human inner groanings take place and also in our hearts is the place where the groanings of the Holy Spirit takes place. There is a divine and human interaction that the Father searches out and understands perfectly so that we in our weakness, futility and limitation are still enabled to pray according to God’s will even if we’re still, to a large degree, ignorant of God’s will. God’s will is perfectly prayed for and perfectly fulfilled. (V28 is realized in the context of the Holy Spirit’s intercession.)
A more literal reading puts it, And He who is searching the hearts hath known what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because according to God he doth intercede for saints.(Young’s Literal Translation) Don’t get distracted by the word saints here. It’s Paul’s common designation for believers. These are not extra special holy people surrounded with a ‘ready-brek glow’. They are ordinary believers (if there is really such a thing?) It was the common name for Christians in the early church.
We’re told that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us ‘according to God.’ All that he presents before the Father on our behalf is in complete harmony with who God is, (His Character.) and what He wants to do. (His purpose)
Aren’t these verses a great encouragement to pray. Prayer of itself is a human activity common to all the cultures and religions of the world, but the prayer described here is uniquely different. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit, its Christian prayer. (In fact it’s the work of the Trinity)
Matthew 6:7-8. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (NLT)
He still expects us to ask even if our asking is imperfect and limited in so many ways.
Though we pray in the weakness of our flesh, no Christian ever prays alone. Also none of us ever becomes a pro. at prayer. None of us are experts. If in fact you think you are pretty good at prayer you are in danger of becoming a bit like that man who went up to the Temple and put on a good performance. He liked the sound of his own voice but God wasn’t impressed. The other mans prayer was acceptable to God. He realized his weakness and he confessed his need to God.
Are you dissatisfied with the level and quality of your praying? That sounds like a good place to start.
Are we somehow meant to be dissatisfied with our praying that we might find our true satisfaction in God through the weakness of our prayers?
Prayer is not an end in itself. It’s a means to a greater end. It’s about the greatest relationship in the whole world and the world to come, without end. Amen.
Whilst we are in the world we will feel its futility and frustration and while we cast ourselves on God through prayer we will sense by faith His purpose and be brought into the flow of God’s will because by his Spirit he makes all things work together for good for those who love God. (V28)
Conclusion:
Do you feel weakness? Do you feel that you don’t pray as you ought? Do you feel that you don’t know what to pray? Be encouraged today when you pray and feel your limitations the Holy Spirit is praying in your heart and the Father always answers His prayers because His prayers are in perfect conformity to the will of God. We will find ourselves in troubling circumstances where there is no clear answer. Where we have to make decisions and we don’t know the way forward. We don’t see a red light or a green light. We feel we lack wisdom. Be encouraged God is at work. It isn’t necessarily a lack of faith on your behalf. It isn’t necessarily an unconfessed sin. (Sometimes they are factors and they need to be dealt with promptly!) We may feel our weakness but God is at work by His Spirit.
This is an encouragement to pray by a man who knew about prayer. We are not being criticised by God because of our ignorance. We are encouraged to pray in our weakness even if we feel so limited and weak, even if we feel we cannot articulate or express what we mean. “The feeblest saint shall win the day, though death and hell obstruct the way.”
Foot Notes:
Literally it simply says, "with wordless groanings."
[interface // n. & v.
n.
1 esp. Physics a surface forming a common boundary between two regions.
2 a point where interaction occurs between two systems, processes, subjects, etc. (the interface between psychology and education).
3 esp. Computing an apparatus for connecting two pieces of equipment so that they can be operated jointly.
v. (often foll. by with)
1 tr. & intr. connect with (another piece of equipment etc.) by an interface.
2 intr. interact (with another person etc.).]
G3875
παράκλητος
paraklētos
par-ak'-lay-tos
An intercessor, consoler: - advocate, comforter.
“There is a realm of fellowship with God in which (The Human) spirit enjoys fellowship with (The Holy) Spirit, a realm that transcends the processes of the mind because man is spirit. He may enjoy immediate fellowship with God in a ‘mystical’ relationship that does not contradict but which transcends the cognitive faculty.” Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament page 462, Italics mine.
Deuteronomy 29:29
(NCV)29 There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has let us know. These things belong to us and our children forever so that we will do everything in these teachings.