Romans 8:26-27
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession [a]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Prayer is a key and vital element in the life of a believer. It is so important that in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 we are commanded to pray without ceasing. As a believer you must have wondered how that is even possible. How can I pray without ceasing when I can hardly sustain prayer for an hour just like the disciples of Jesus?
That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Because we are limited, we do not know what we should pray for and even how we should pray for it. Though we have been given access to the father through Jesus Christ our redeemer, many times we come to the Father and we do not even know what to ask for. Remember what James says in;
James 4:3 NKJV “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Even in the place of prayer, we sometimes allow our carnality to take reign and that is why it is important that the Holy Spirit who is perfect and knows the perfect will of God steps in and prays for us. What a joy to know that the Holy Spirit of God who knows all things steps in and prays for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.
The Holy Spirit will also quicken us when to pray and what to pray for. He will place such a burden in our hearts concerning a situation or an individual and as we walk in obedience to start praying for them, he then begins to guide us in the things to pray for. We find ourselves praying for things we do not even know about and when later we meet with the person we were praying for and inquire about the things we mentioned in prayer, it turns out to be the exact thing the individual was going through.
When you feel too weak to pray, when you present yourself before God and you do not know what to say, always remember you have the Holy Spirit who not only will help you to pray, but he also prays for you with groanings that cannot be uttered, like a woman in labor he is travailing for you in prayer!
What attitude should you have towards prayer knowing the the Holy Spirit is available to help you pray? Have you had instances where the Holy Spirit prompted you to pray for a person or situation? What happened? Is prayer a struggle for you? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray and what to pray for!
