#21.

God promises to assist us to pray according to His will by the work of His
Spirit in our hearts

Romans 8:26–27 (NAS) — 26 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; 27 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.

Paul has been reviewing the many blessings that belong to true believers - to those who are "in
Christ Jesus: (Rom 8:1). In doing so, he shows us that we receive many of these blessings, or an
appreciation of them, through the working of the Holy Spirit within us. What are some of these
blessings?

• There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, because the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ has set us free from the law of sin and of death (Rom 8:1-2)
• This is because the requirements of the law are fulfilled in us, who walk according to the
Spirit (Rom 8:4)
• We have life and peace, having our minds set upon the Spirit (8:6)
• We have the Spirit of God dwelling in us (this is the distinctive seal that shows we belong
to God) - therefore we are no longer "in the flesh" but "in the Spirit" (Rom 8:9)
• Therefore our spirits are alive and our bodies (dead because of sin) will also be made
alive (Rom 8:11)
• The Spirit leads us to put to death the deeds of the flesh (Rom 8:13)
• The Spirit dwelling in us shows we are adopted into God's family and enables us truly to
address God as our heavenly Father (Rom 8:15)
• The Spirit works in us to assure us of our interest in all these spiritual riches, and of our
sonship (Rom 8:16)
• We therefore also groan, eager to receive our full adoption when our bodies are redeemed
out of the corruption that binds all creation, but that is destined to be fully reversed by the
results of the death of Jesus on the cross. (Rom 8:17-25)

In the light of these things, perhaps what Paul says next should come as no surprise - the Spirit
also helps us in our praying (Rom 8:26-27). Being finite and sinful creatures, it is impossible that
we can invariably know the mind of God in order to pray according to His will in all
circumstances. We are weak, and perhaps nowhere do we sense our weakness more than when
we come before Almighty God and bring our requests with our "poor, lisping, stammering
tongue" (as the hymn writer calls it). Nowhere are we so aware of our inadequacy, of our
unworthiness to ask God for anything, of the corruption that still seeths and bubbles deep within
our hearts, polluting even the best and most noble of our petitions.

But this is where the comfort of this passage comes in. God knows our condition and has not left
us to wallow about in the mire. He has provided a Comforter, a "paraklete" (one who is called
alongside to help) to help us in our weakness! This One knows the mind of God and the
weakness of man and through the work of Christ, He labors to make our prayers effective and in
alignment with God's will. He does not do this because of our worth, but Christ's, not because of
our fine eloquence but because of the relationship with God that we have been brought into
because of what Jesus did. The hymn writer puts it so well:

There is a way for man to rise

To that sublime abode
An offering and a sacrifice
A Holy Spirit's energies
An Advocate with God.

In other words, God has supplied us, through Christ, with everything we need for life and
godliness. All these things are ministered to us by the indwelling Spirit and He is the one upon
Whom we must depend when we come to God in prayer.

When we come to our prayer times and our prayer meetings this week, let's remember this. It is
not by our might that we will breach the walls of heaven so that blessing may be poured out - it
is by the Spirit Who has been sent to help us in our weakness. But if this Holy Spirit, who knows
the thoughts of our Father in heaven, dwells in us, strengthens us in our weakness and guides us
as we pray "in the Spirit", what confidence we may have that our prayers will be answered by the
One we address as "Abba, Father" by that same gracious Spirit!

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