The Spirit Himself Intercedes

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
(Romans 8.26)

I remember the day I was baptized. It was the most wonderful day of my life. Nevertheless, that salvation experience didn’t bring with it the ability to speak to my savior in any meaningful way. I desperately wanted to tell the Lord what was in my heart. I was deeply sorry for past sins but any attempt to articulate my sorrows and gratitude seemed hollow. I was also in the midst of a great loss. I hoped God would help me get through and give me strength to go on. Still, I had no idea what to say or how to say it.
However, it’s not just in those important and trying times that the Spirit speaks for me. I seldom pray as I ought. Most of the time I’m like a small child, unable to plainly express myself to the Lord. There are even times when I’m tempted by the devil to think God won’t listen because my prayer is about something so unimportant. Then, there are times when I’m asking for something not in the will of the All Mighty. Those are the times when the Spirit intervenes on my behalf to the Father.
Have you ever wanted to ask God for his help with something but didn’t know what to say or how to say it? Have you ever sat at the bedside of a very sick loved one and tried quietly to ask God to heal them but didn’t know how to ask or what to ask for? That’s when being indwelt by the Holy Spirit is most important. He knows our deepest thoughts, desires, and fears. When we cannot speak them clearly, he intercedes for us.
As I mentioned earlier, the most significant time the Holy Spirit steps in for me is when I’m trying to pray for someone else. In those times, when I know how desperately prayer is needed, but I can’t find the right words, the Spirit intercedes for me to the Father. Sometimes, a person will come to my mind for no apparent reason. I’ve learned the Holy Spirit is telling me to pray for them. I never have any idea what I’m supposed to be praying for, so the Holy Spirit takes over. He’s doing the same for you even if you don’t realize it.




Heavenly Father, it is you who receives all of our prayers. When the future is bleak for us or someone else, and our prayers are so important for the outcome, we sometimes come up short on what to pray for. We thank you, Lord God, that in those moments, your Holy Spirit intercedes for us. When someone we love is facing a life-threatening situation, our pleas for your intervention are bolstered by the whispers of the Spirit. We pray to you to supply our personal needs and we may think we don’t need the Holy Spirit’s help with those prayers. We thank you for interceding for us then also. Not because it’s a life-threatening issue, but because you loves us and know our needs more than we do. Help us to remember, we are never praying from our strength. We always come to you in our weakness and need the Spirit’s help in expressing those needs in ways we cannot. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Location: Kendall, NY 14476, USA

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