Romans 8:26-27

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weak areas—or weakness, as Paul puts it. Some of us may not think we have weaknesses, but truth be told, we all have them!

One area of weakness Paul immediately identifies is not knowing what God wants us to pray for.

Did you know there are things God wants you to pray for?

Most of us tend to think of prayer in terms of our own needs, and even then, how much time do we actually spend praying?

Yet consider this Scripture:

““I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”
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Ezekiel‬ ‭22‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What prayers is God asking us to pray? Are we willing to stand in the gap and serve as intercessors for our land?

There is certainly no shortage of things that need prayer in our world today. But where would we even begin?

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit helps us!

Let's read Paul's words in the Amplified version:

“So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. [Ps. 139:1, 2.] We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.”
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Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Some have suggested that these unspeakable groanings and yearnings can be associated with praying in the Spirit, or praying in tongues.

Although Paul doesn't specifically identify these groanings as tongues, there is an interesting connection worth considering.

In 1 Corinthians 14:14, Paul says that when he prays in an unknown tongue, his spirit prays, but his understanding is unfruitful. Jude also encourages believers to build themselves up in their most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).

That certainly sounds like help to me!

And think about it. We have all prayed about circumstances directly affecting us or those within our immediate circle. But how often do we take time to pray for the things God knows need to be prayed for—things we may know absolutely nothing about apart from the Spirit of God?

There may be people, situations, and circumstances that desperately need prayer, yet they are completely outside our awareness.

But they are not outside God's awareness!

And that is why we need the help of the Holy Spirit. He knows what we don't know. He sees what we cannot see. And He intercedes according to the perfect will of God.

Why would God invite us to pray if there were no power in prayer? Do our prayers really make that much of a difference?

Absolutely!

Prayer changes things because we are appealing to the One who has the power to do what we cannot.

Martin Luther is often credited with saying, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.”

Whether or not those were his exact words, the sentiment reminds us of the tremendous privilege and responsibility we have been given.

God invites us to participate in His purposes through prayer. And the wonderful thing is that He doesn't leave us to figure it all out on our own. He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us, even when we don't know what or how to pray.

The question is, are we willing to make ourselves available?

Will we limit our prayers to the things that concern us personally, or will we allow the Holy Spirit to enlarge our hearts and lead us into intercession for the things that concern God?

Will we partner with God through prayer to make a difference in the world—and allow Him to change us in the process?