The third person of the Trinity can be the forgotten God. We often miss His work by simply forgetting Who He is and what He is doing in our lives. God is triune: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And all the divine attributes of God and Jesus are also in the Holy Spirit. When you believe and receive Jesus, God moves into you in the person of the Holy Spirit, guiding your mind, heart, and will.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is a gift given to live inside those who believe in Jesus. It works to produce God's character in the life of a believer in a way that we can’t do on our own.
We can discover the Holy Spirit's work during our sweet times of prayer.The Father and Jesus Christ the Son of God both also definitely meet us when we close our eyes and whisper our hearts to heaven. Although, Jesus our High Priest is the reason we can come to God's throne and God the Father welcomes us in...did you know the Holy Spirit is actually the most vital part of prayer?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
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. 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. (Romans 8:26-27)
Not only does the Spirit allow us access to God through faith; He is praying for you!
When I first read Romans 8:26, I was consumed with gratitude. Can you imagine the gift, honor, and grace involved in the Spirit’s intercession for us? Intercession means to “act on the behalf of someone else.” The Spirit does this for us every single time we pray. What comfort we can gain from this amazing knowledge.
Paul spoke about the Holy Spirit’s work in Romans 8. In this chapter we find six ways the Holy Spirit prays for us:
1. The Holy Spirit prays for us in a power we don't own.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Romans 8:26)
Our weakness will run out, but the Holy Spirit will keep going. When you fall asleep, are too weak, or just emotionally exhausted, the Spirit of God steps in and gives you the strength you need to continuein prayer.
2. The Holy Spirit prays for us with wisdom we lack.
“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26)
Do you ever feel like you have no idea what you are doing? When I was first handed my child I thought, “I hope they know I have no clue what to do!” Sometimes our lives seem completely chaotic and we don’t even know what to pray.
The Spirit walks beside us and whispers the wisdom we need.
3. The Holy Spirit prays for us in mercy we could never fathom.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are inChrist Jesus,” (Romans 8:1)
Although Satan would like to feed us lies like “You don’t belong here...God doesn’t love you...and you are unworthy…” The Spirit stands in the gap and says mercy and grace live here.
He is the one who shouts there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!
4. The Holy Spirit prays for us with a connection we don't possess.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35)
Who better to bring our requests to the Father than the Spirit? Being a part of the Trinity they possess a connection beyond what we can imagine. Nothing can separate us from the Father because the Spirit is that bond.
5. The Holy Spirit prays for us with God’s will in mind.
“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.” (Romans 8:27)
Sometimes I am so tired and I can’t pray. It’s in these times that I need to lean on the Holy Spirit. We might notknow what to say, but the Spirit knows.
Who better to know what God’s will is for our lives than the third Person of the Trinity?
6. The Holy Spirit prays for us with love we can’t contain.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nordemons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Finally, you cannot escape the last part of these verses. The Spirit will always love us and nothing can separate us from His love. It is with this love the Spirit speaks to the Father on our behalf.
When our hearts our dry, empty, and we cannot know what to say or how to pray, the Spirit steps up. Part of His ministry to us is to pray for us. Although we can rely on the Spirit to speak the words we cannot, there are a few practical steps you can take if you are struggling with what to say.
Here are some steps for when you struggle with what to say in prayer:
1. Change your approach.
The first step might be to change how you pray. It doesn’t have to stay the same your entire life. Try a method that stretches or wakens something new in you. For example, if you normally pray aloud, try praying in silence. If you normally pray in words, try putting it to song. If you normally speak your prayers, try journaling them. If you pray by yourself, try group prayer.
2. Spend some real time in prayer.
Don’t set a timer at first. Prayer isn’t something to rush. I’m learning (the hard way) that prayer is a discipline. Think of it as training, not checking it off your list. You can use this free prayer journal to get started.
3. Listen to some good sermons.
My husband has introduced me to listening to sermons online. Just do a topic search on sites such as SermonAudio.com or Christianity.com’s YouTube channel and listen. Podcasts are great for this, too. It has given me a good perspective hearing others teach God’s Word.
What if prayer doesn’t “feel” right?
It’s true: prayer will not always ”feel good.” When I wake up in the morning and my kids are already awake, I might not feel like praying. As I rush through my day it feels a little unconfident to stop and pray. The beautiful thing about prayer is we don’t do it alone.
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. 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. (Romans 8:26-27)
The reason Romans 8 is in the Bible is because we need to be reminded we do not pray alone. God the Holy Spirit stands beside us as we whether the throne of grace. God will not condemn because of the work of Jesus Christ and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. If you’d like a place to start, you may find this prayer journal helpful.
Sarah Frazer is a writer and Bible study mentor at sarahefrazer.com. She is the wife of Jason and mother of five. Although she serves in her local church, holds in-home Bible studies, and is preparing to be a full-time missionary to Honduras, her passion is to encourage women to get in the Bible. Sarah is also an author of three self-published Bible studies for women. She share tools for deep-rooted Bible study at sarahefrazer.com. Download her free prayer challenge at sarahefrazer.com/prayer.
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