The Holy Spirit Prays Through Us

Ian Revie

‘He does our praying in and for us.’
Romans 8:26 (MSG)

How often do we get to the start of a new day, or end of the same, and think we feel far away from God?

I have to admit for me, this is happening more and more often, as I see problems with my friends’ relationships, or illness - with them some recurring cancers - and so on, it does wear me down. Maybe it’s just a part of getting older, but I like to think that it’s more awareness of a larger group of people via social media - the distance between us no longer slows down bad news!

I am sure for many of us this impacts on anxiety, or stress levels so high that you can’t think clearly, and sleeping becomes a problem.

So since I was young I have always leaned on the fact that, when I feel like this, we just need to pray “God you know my heart” and somehow the prayer is made. What has come as a surprise to me is the depth to which the Holy Spirit is in us, and intervenes for us.

The Message version of Romans 8:26 sheds a real new light for me on this:

God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us… If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves… That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good’.
Romans 8: 26-28 (MSG)

Because prayer is relational, the Holy Spirit intercedes (this is the bit I didn't get - didn’t see what intercedes meant), or He communicates our heart to God and God’s heart back to us.

When we don’t know how or what to pray – just stay, be still, remain in God’s presence, and He will communicate with you.

This is where I find that, when I do this, a sense of peace pervades and I often begin to see much clearer what God’s will is for me.
I encourage you to be still, and know God.