We know we are supposed to pray.  We hear the echo in our spirit, “in all things pray…”

Sometimes prayer is easy.  Words flow from grateful hearts.  We feel close to God and our prayers flow freely. 

But then, there are other times.  Pain comes.  Our hearts fill with worry.  Brokenness and pain overwhelm our doubt filled hearts. 

Can we talk to God when our hearts are overwhelmed?  Can we pray when the hurt comes over us like a hurricane?

This week’s message fills us with the knowledge that when we are at our lowest, He helps us the most.  You are not on your own. 

The word of God helps us understand how the Spirit helps us when we pray.

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Paul’s words give us so much hope for our prayer life.  He begins with the common human condition: weakness.  From the moment Eve and then Adam at the forbidden fruit people have suffered with the condition of brokenness.  We are weak.  Infirmities fill us with pain.

Into this infirmity the Spirit helps.  Before defining the word, consider the illustration from Jesus’ ministry.

The sisters, Mary and Martha, invite Jesus and his disciples to dinner.  Of course, a dinner with thirteen guests would be a lot, but along with them came others.  The task was huge.

As the guests arrived, Mary left the preparations.  Drawn to Jesus, she found herself sitting at His feet, wrapped up in His presence.

Martha was initially put upon by Mary’s absence and then, with her anger increasing she made her way into the room with Jesus.  We can almost see her standing there with her hands on her hips.  “Jesus do you not care…have her help me…”  Jesus put the work in his proper place and affirmed that Mary had chosen well in spending time with Jesus.

The word Martha used is the same word used in Romans eight to describe the ministry of the Spirit.  Help (Sunantilambanomai): To take- hold with another.  EH comes alongside us to take the burden with us.  He shares the loads.  The Amplified version says the Spirit, “Comes to our aid and bears us up.” 

The Spirit is there to help us when we are weak.  He stands in the middle ground interceding for us.  Why?  Because we do not know how we ought to pray. 

Moses asked God to allow Him to go into the promised land.  He was told He would not enter.  Abraham asked God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah.  God answered Him negatively.  Jeremiah was told that he should not even intercede for his broken people.

In our human condition, we often do not know how to pray.  We do not know what to pray. 

Enter the Spirit.  He is, as we have understood in previous weeks, our intercessor.  He is our parakletos.  He is called alongside us.  One thing He does is pray for us.  He prays with wisdom we do not possess.

He intercedes for us.  He stands in that place as our representative.  Prayers go from our broken hearts through the Spirit’s voice to the heart and mind of the Father. He prays for us when we simply do not know how to pray.

One interesting note is that the Spirit’s prayers echo or own. Sometimes the Spirit groans with words that do not have verbal expression.  He groans to God for us.  This is not reference to some ecstatic tongue without rational context.  No, it is a groan that has no words.  He is not praying FOR us alone.  He is praying WITH us. 

One other note.  The Spirit always prays in line the mind and will of God.  He searches the deepest things of God.  You may not know what God has in store.  He does.  You may be uncertain what to expect. He is crystal clear.  He completely grasps God’s plan and prays with our needs, bringing them completely in line with the perfect plan of God.