Read Romans 8:26–27
Questions from the Scripture text: Who helps us (Romans 8:26)? Because of what reality about us? In what lack of knowledge are we particularly weak? Who prays for us? What sorts of prayers? How does Romans 8:27 describe God? What does it say that He knows? For whom, particularly, does the Spirit make intercession? According to what?
How does the Spirit help, when our perseverance is weak? Romans 8:26–27 looks forward to the midweek sermon. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Spirit of God, Who has the mind of God, teaches us to pray for glory with certainty, even as He perfectly prays the same.
The help of the Spirit. We ought to be “eager” and “persevering” (Romans 8:25) in our hoping, and therefore our praying. But we are not what we ought to be. We do not strain as we ought to for that glory for which we were saved, and to which we are certain to attain. So the Spirit helps us in our infirmities. We don’t know how to pray for what we ought. So the Spirit helps us to pray. He helps us be eternally minded, heavenly minded, even as we pray for things in our time and place. If we did not have the Spirit to help us in prayer, we could only pray from our flesh. But we do have His help, praise God!
The intercession of the Spirit. In Romans 8:23, we heard that “we ourselves groan. ”Now in Romans 8:26 we read that “the Spirit Himself makes intercession.” That is to say: not only is He responsible for whatever good and true praying comes out of us, but He also prays in our behalf. God prays for us! Christ prays for us as our Mediator (cf. Romans 8:34). And God the Spirit prays for us according to His own divine will. So, we have both our own praying that He conforms to God’s will, and His praying that is itself an expression of God’s will.
The groaning of the Spirit. What does the Spirit pray for us? That all of God’s will would ultimately be accomplished. That for which the creation groans (cf. Romans 8:22), and that for which we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan (cf. Romans 8:23), would be fulfilled. The hope in which God subjected the creation (cf. Romans 8:20), the hope in which God saved us (cf. Romans 8:24), is the hope for which God the Spirit prays for us. God the Spirit groans for us not in human words but with the very desire and intention of God Himself! So, as God searches our Spirit-prompted hearts, He observes the mind of His own Spirit and approves it.
From where does any good praying that you do come? Who else is praying for you? What for?
Sample prayer: Father, thank You for giving us Your Spirit to help us pray according to Your own priorities. Grant that by His help, we would pray more and more like Christ, through Whom we ask it, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP98“O Sing a New Song to the LORD” or TPH469“Who Are These Like Stars Appearing”
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