“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; 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”-{Rom 8:26-27}
What beautiful words, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness…”-{Rom 8:26}, The word, ‘help’-“to take hold with another”- It speaks of the ACTION of a person coming alongside to help. “The word here rendered helps properly means to take part with. It implies, not merely sympathy with, but a personal participation in our infirmity. The Spirit helps our infirmities by sharing them with us.” -{Winslow}
“Weakness” refers to our limitations and it is used of someone who was at the end of a log but could not lift it and needed “help.” And then someone upon seeing his distress, need, and his inability to carry it or move it by himself comes along side and lifts the other end and faces the man- eyeball to eye ball and lifts to assist. He does not take complete responsibility but assists the man. So the Holy Spirit when we do not know what to pray in a situation comes alongside us and represents us before the Throne with prayers… “according to the will of God.”-{v 27}. He assists us! He as it were straightens out our prayers and aligns them up, “according to the will of God!”
There may have been times when you have said, “Lord I don’t know what to pray, Help!” And He does, the Holy Spirit assisting, interceding and presenting what is needed to the Throne on your behalf to the end God would be glorified in the particular situation! How do we know this? Because we read He intercedes always,“…according to the will of God.”-{Rom 8:27}
For example perhaps you have been praying for someone’s healing and pleading with God and even got people to join with you, the person was a believer and they ended up dying. What happened? That’s often the first thing we think of, “What went wrong,” “Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” Was your praying and that of others not heard? Was your faith too weak? Perhaps you become angry with God, and feel as though he let you down and you become distant in your heart towards Him or maybe confused because you may of, just as David did, prayed and fasted…One problem with our thinking is we at times believe- falsely- that if we pray and can get enough people to pray we can convince God to do as we want! OUR thinking is messed up, because those type of thoughts reveal our belief system is that, God is my servant. He exists and is here to serve me, when we are here to worship and serve Him only!
There are times we don’t know what to pray. We don’t want to see a friend, loved one suffer and in our thinking the best thing is they be healed and even reason God would be glorified if He did this. And indeed we see in Scripture God is glorified at times through healing someone but HE is not obligated to do that every time. You may feel let down by God because you prayed and He did not answer as you feel He should have. You were praying what you believed was the best, that they would have been raised up and healed. You believed what you were praying was for the person’s best. What happened? In this case you were not praying “…according to His will,” but the Holy Spirit was!-{Read Romans 8;27}. He knew what was ultimately the best for the fellow believer was the desire of Jesus be answered, fulfilled, as in John 17;24- “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” The desire of the LORD Jesus is we be with Him to see His glory! And the Father grants the Son the desire of His heart, which in this case of the one you prayed for was that they depart and be with the LORD Jesus.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones.“- {Psalm 119:15}. The word ‘precious’ also translated ‘excellent.’ From God’s perspective the death of one of His is an excellent thing. Why? Because the Son gets the desire of His heart, the presence of one of His own. Sometimes we fail to see the Big picture when we pray and though we pray the Holy Spirit “helps us” and intercedes for us according to the will of God!
1. -DAVID’S PRAYER
David was praying and fasting that the life of his son be saved. But he died. “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.
The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.
On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”
David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.
“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”
Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”
He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” –“{2 Samuel 12:16-23}.
He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live. ’But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
David Didn’t Know What Way the LORD would answer his prayer;
“He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’“- {v 22}. David didn’t know, but he did what he thought best was the child would be spared. When the child died, he said, “Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” -{v 23}. We at times like David pray earnestly for the healing of a loved one and the answer is not what we prayed for. The Holy Spirit always prays “according to the will of God” and He intercedes, taking what we offer and as it was straightening our prayers out and presenting them to the Throne on our behalf! -{Rom 8:26-27}
2. THE THESSALONIANS BELIEVERS;
The Scripture does not teach we should be callous, cold but indeed at times your heart feels like it is breaking because of the pain of loss. But for the believer He imparts hope, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”-{1 Thess 4:13}. He wants them to know that death is not the end for we will see one another again who are “In Christ.” He doesn’t say don’t weep. for Jesus Himself wept, uncontrollably. But He says do not weep as those “who have no hope.” Their departure is not final, it is Just the LORD bringing them Home, and in His time He will take us to be with Him and we will be rejoined with the loved ones, who are followers of the LORD Jesus. We have a hope, a certainty of seeing them again!
3. PAUL’S PRAYER
Paul prayed three times for the LORD to take away the painful “thorn” he had. The word “thorn” was used of a pointed wooden stake, that was used to torture someone or impale them! Paul was in severe pain. It was not some small piece of wood caught under his finger, which is more of an irritation, his was real pain. And God did not answer his prayer in the way he pleaded for. Instead, God was going to do something else and showed him His grace, would enable and empower him, and also that in his weakness he would know God’s power unleashed in him as he was told, “My grace is Sufficient for you.” The word “sufficient” means “‘enough,” with the implication of “satisfaction!” The grace of the LORD Jesus would be enough. Paul prayed as best he knew for deliverance, relief. God was going to do something different and He let Paul know and Paul’s response was to glory in his weakness, knowing when he was weak He was strong through him. The thorn was not a punishment. In verse 7 it says the “thorn,” was given to Paul, because of the great revelations Paul had, to keep him humble- from spiritual pride. God has purpose in our pain. it is not always the same as Paul, but in our weakness we depend more upon Him and His strength is made prefect in our weakness!
Like David, Paul too was praying for one thing and the LORD did something else. There was nothing wrong with their requests, indeed we would say they were natural. And so at times we pray and don’t know what to pray and we do what we think is best and in the case of a loved one, the LORD may take them home because what is ultimately the best for them is to be with the LORD Jesus and behold His glory! The Holy Spirit helps us in our praying as He always prays “according to the will of God.”
The LORD may not remove the painful “thorn,” and it is not because you have weak faith but He who is faithful is doing something else in your life, that will greatly Glorify Him. -{Read Phil 1;6; Isaiah 43;7}
JOB’S FRIENDS;
Job’s friends thought they knew what was happening with Job, but they didn’t have a clue about chapter one where the LORD said to satan “Have you considered my servant Job?” He knew his name- job; He knew his character-a servant of the Most High God.
Job’s friends were not let in on what happened in chapter one of the conversation between God and satan. But like us at times they felt they had to come up with an answer ‘why’ this was happening. SOMETIMES we hate not to be in control and not be “all knowing” of ‘why’ this is happening and come up with our own views to satisfy our own need to know why so we can be in control! When instead of wanting to know “WHY” we should be concerned with “HOW.” in Job 6;14 Job said “in times of affliction there should be KINDNESS from his friends.” Concentrate on thinking “HOW” can I show kindness to this one who is afflicted! Job did not know “why,” his friends did not know “why” as they were not privy to the conversation in chapter one. God was working. There are time in our lives we may not know why and we pray and God does something else
We are not always called to understand but always to trust Him! –
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, do NOT lean to your own understanding in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths”- {Prov 3;5-6}.
This does not mean we stop praying but be encouraged when we do not know what to pray for and we feel as though we are “stuck,” Know on the authority of God’s Word,… The Holy SPIRIT IS INTERCEDING FOR US IN THE MATTER.
You or I are not left on our own in our pain, grief or trial. For He is in us and intervening for us. Take courage, right now the Holy SPIRIT who in the Godhead, created the world and raised Jesus from the dead….is praying for you! Take hope, be encouraged and strong . God has made provision for you through the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Pause and thank God for His love and provision for you in this hard, difficult place you find yourself in!
David, Paul, the Thessalonians and Job, suffered and in their suffering God was working in and through there lives we too can learn of Him. He is not obligated to answer the prayers the way we want, but we are obligated to understand that the purpose of prayer is not that I get what I want but that He receive what He is due- Glory! –{Read John 14:13}.
When we are in a hard place, a place of weakness where we do not know how to pray, “Lord heal them or take them Home.” The Holy Spirit helps us by taking our prayers and as it was straightening them out and presenting them as they should be to The God who sits upon His throne. He helps us!
I have been “chewing” on this for a few days, thankful God has gifted us the Holy Spirit to reside not only in us but to “Help” us. How kind of Him. We can offer prayers and be out in “left field” but He knows and offers to the Throne what is needed for us and prays along that line so the Father be glorified -{Read John 14:13}.
Our Limitations do not limit Him!
It is good in such times to THANK GOD that He has provided the Holy Spirit to assist you in your weakness in such times!
Thank You Lord for your Provision of the Holy Spirit to assist me in times of weakness- that He is praying for me and He knows the will of God as He is God the Spirit and all His prayers are answered!
God is so kind to us…”the Spirit helps us in our weakness… interceding according to the will of God.”-{Rom 8;26-27 }
Grateful… not alone! God has provided HELP for us in our weakness.- The Spirit of God!
Thank You LORDd for the gift of the Holy Spirit and His Help to me in time of “weakness.” He is praying for me “…according to the will of God.” That is Comforting.