15th May 2024
The Spirit’s role in prayer
This is the seventh in a series of studies on the subject of prayer.
…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27 (NIVUK)
When a crisis hits, or a situation crops up, I have to remind myself that my first port of call is to pray. After all, there are plenty of circumstances where I don’t always know what to say or how to say it. That’s why I am glad that I am not on my own in my prayer adventure and am grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer. However weak and feeble our prayers seem to be, the Spirit helps us in our weakness (v.26). It’s good to know we are not alone when we pray, rather ‘God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along’ (v.26 The Message).
The Spirit is our prayer partner; as such he doesn’t just join us in prayer, but he prays for us. I think he must make this intercession (v.26) for us often considering our need for help in praying. In our innermost being, we have desires, feelings, yearnings, concerns, worries, and fears we may want to share with God, but our limited vocabulary cannot adequately express them. This is where the Spirit can express these groans for us: ‘He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.’ (v.26 The Message).
The Spirit cuts through our inability to pray effectively and gets to what is really on our hearts as he searches deep inside of us (v.27); and ‘He knows us far better than we know ourselves…and keeps us present before God’ (v.27 The Message). I find that encouraging because sometimes when we’re praying we can feel far away from God, and yet the Spirit keeps us in his presence.
I don’t know about you, but when I pray my prayers are a mix of my selfish wants and desires coupled with my wanting God’s will to be done. Here again, the Spirit takes the imperfections of our prayers and aligns them with God’s perfect will, bringing them into harmony (v.27).
If you, like me, struggle with prayer, bring this struggle to the Spirit, commit it to him, and ask for his help, encouragement, and involvement.
It will make a significant difference to your prayer life.
Prayer
Father, thank you for the Spirit’s partnership with us in prayer, may we pray in the power of the Spirit as we go forward. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Barry Robinson
About the writer:
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales
Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church