Romans 8:26-27

Prayer is an expression of worship and adoration as well as of personal need.

There’s that forging of a connection of our human needs (which are many) and the infinite supplies of God offered to us in Christ.

True Christians have discovered that God, in Christ, offers them grace, mercy, pardon, peace, life, and love.

This is revealed in the gospel, or “good news” of Jesus Christ ().

And true Christians have experienced how much they need these things—indeed, how the heart cries out for them in prayer

"I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.” ()

Prayer identifies the desires of the heart and expresses them to God.

It can be silent or spoken.

It can be as simple as “God be merciful to me a sinner” () or as detailed as

the high-priestly prayer of Christ (), in which He poured out everything He wanted God the Father

to give to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It can even take the form of a song.

The Psalms are called “the prayers of David” ().

Christian prayer embraces God’s will as revealed in Scripture for its rule or guide.

The goal is to ask for things in harmony with what God wants for us.

God’s covenant promises, sealed with the blood of Christ (), are the surest foundation for prayer ().

When divine and human wills agree according to God’s rule, prayer will surely be answered ().

Christian prayer develops as believers come to trust in Christ more and more for all they need or

are called to do,

even to know how to pray or to ask for grace to keep on praying.

We have no claim on God but must rely entirely on the merit and prayers of Christ and the indispensable aid of the Holy Spirit ().

That is why Christ commands us to “ask in my name” (; ).

Christian prayer is also part of our repentance from sin.

In prayer, we confess our sins, asking God to forgive those sins and to provide the strength we need to forsake them and kill them.

From God’s perspective, a sin truly confessed is a sin forgiven ().

What’s more, the same God who forgives sin cleanses from all unrighteousness ().

Finally, Christian prayer is an act of worship ().

Beeke, J. R., & Beeke, J. W. (2010). Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God (pp. xi–xii). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

As we come to know God in Christ, we are moved to praise Him as Almighty God and our Father in heaven.

As we experience God’s work in our daily lives, we learn to thank Him for the many good and perfect gifts He offers us

as mercies from His fatherly hand ().

We also learn to rejoice in trials, hardships, loss, and sorrow, since these come to us

not by chance but according to God’s will

to accomplish His purpose for us (, ). {SLOW}

Last week we spoke from verses 18-25 and out of those verses we saw two groanings and two promises.

Both creation and the church groans, and are eagerly waiting for the revealing of the son’s of God and the redemption of our bodies.

And in following suit, Paul speaks of one more groaning (the Holy Spirit) and promise.

26 "In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” ()

Due to the difficulties of the life that Christ calls us to, in following Him, in a fallen and broken world it produces an inability to pray at times.

He now goes on to add to that. Just as the Spirit is with us as the firstfruits while we await the consummation (v. 23),

so He is with us in the difficult business of prayer.

It is easy to become discouraged in our praying, for we are conscious that we do it so badly.

But here, too, we are not left to our own devices. The Spirit intercedes for us.

I’ve heard of some of you, who’s children were desperately ill and the urgency was so great that you could scarcely converse with God.

Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 326). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.

I’ve heard of some of you, who’s children were desperately ill and the urgency was so great that you could scarcely converse with God.

And at your best you may have uttered only a few words, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

There have been times when something has been said to us that is so devastating and we are so hurt we cannot pray, “but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

One day some of us will lie in hospitals with catheters and IVs, and we may not have the ability to put two thoughts together,

“but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

The Holy Spirit expresses those things we feel but cannot articulate.

As Christians, we inwardly sigh and long for the adoption, the resurrection and the new heavens and earth.

We groan inside, and long to be out of this world and in the place where we belong.

Who stirs up these desires? The Holy Spirit! And who communicates them to God? The Holy Spirit!

27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” ()

Olyott, S. (1979). The Gospel as It Really Is: Romans Simply Explained (pp. 107–108). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

These inward aches, which we cannot put into words, have a meaning which is discerned and understood by God.

They are prayers according to the will of God, which are the work of the Holy Spirit.

All prayers and petitions asked according to His will are heard and granted.

14 "This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” ()

This means that our inward longings will become fact.

The adoption, the resurrection and the new heaven and earth will be ours!

These inward groanings, created by the Spirit of God, are a further guarantee that

the present order will not go on for ever, and

that present sufferings will at last give way to glory.

26 "In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.” ()So let’s break down this wonderful text:

So let’s break down this wonderful text:

Let’s look first of all to OUR SHORT-COMING IN PRAYER.

We are weak and left to ourselves we will always be in trouble.

"For who knows what is good for anyone in life...” ()

And one major weakness is found in the realm of prayer.

“because we do not know what to pray for as we should”

There are times we don’t know how we should pray.

Remember they asked Jesus, Lord grant that we may sit on your right hand and on your left.

And what’s Jesus’s response? () “Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

There also the idea of the words we use and perhaps the objects for which we pray.

It is not only that we do not pray very well; it is also the case that,

while we often think we know what we need,

we are not always good judges of that either.

So Paul tells us that three times he asked God to take away his “thorn in the flesh”, only to be told that God’s strength “is made perfect in weakness” ().

Or we might think of Moses’ prayer to enter the Promised Land (),

or Jeremiah’s for the Jews ().

Our horizon is always limited, and we do not know what is best.

Many times, our needs go far beyond the power of our speech to express them.

But we don’t hide behind this plea of ignorance.

Just as the first sign of life in an infant when born into the world, is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women

when they are born again, is praying.

Every Christian prays. It is natural, necessary, and normal.

And when we can’t pray properly or we don’t pray properly, we have the promise of a Helper!

Secondly, OUR SUPPORT IN PRAYER.

We really need a whole lot of support in the area of prayer!

In the same way

Of course this links us to what Paul said to us last week.

That we are helped in our earthly troubles, which cause us to groan within ourselves (v23).

And that phrase, “In the same way” reaches back to the hope that we spoke about in those previous verses.

We find that the Holy Spirit preserves and enlarges the hope in which we live in.

the Spirit also helps us

the Spirit also helps us

There’s our support! The Spirit’s support!

The Holy Spirit does not give armchair advice. He rolls up his sleeves and helps us bear our weakness.

Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven (p. 163). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

That is real help.

Also, I hope that you find comfort from the word “us”.

Also, I hope that you find comfort from the word “us”.

Paul doesn’t place himself on a pedestal as though his prayers were not subject to limitation.

He too, needs the Spirit’s help to pray. Notice the next phrase...

in our weakness,

See that? Paul doesn’t say that the Spirit removes our weaknesses.

They are still there and we live our whole life in the condition of weakness!

The Spirit of God gives us help, He gives us the aid to make it through!

Weakness isn’t a sin! Nor is suffering.

Paul is referring to the reality that you and I are not the spiritual giants we wished we were (or think we are).

_____________We are weak and left to ourselves we will always be in trouble.

And one major weakness is found in the realm of prayer.

because we do not know what to pray for as we should,

There are times we don’t know how we should pray.

There also the idea of the words we use and perhaps the objects for which we pray.

It is not only that we do not pray very well; it is also the case that,

Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 327). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.

while we often think we know what we need,

we are not always good judges of that either.

So Paul tells us that three times he asked God to take away his “thorn in the flesh”, only to be told that God’s strength “is made perfect in weakness” ().

Or we might think of Moses’ prayer to enter the Promised Land (),

or Jeremiah’s for the Jews ().

Our horizon is always limited, and we do not know what is best.

Olyott, S. (1979). The Gospel as It Really Is: Romans Simply Explained (p. 108). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

Many times, our needs go far beyond the power of our speech to express them.

But we don’t hide behind this plea of ignorance.

Just as the first sign of life in an infant when born into the world, is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women

when they are born again, is praying.

Every Christian prays. It is natural, necessary, and normal.

And when we can’t pray properly or we don’t pray properly, we have the promise of a Helper! ___________________________

Thomas, D. W. H. (2011). How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home (p. 81). Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing.

It’s the Spirit of God who gains us access to the Father! Christ intercedes for His children in heaven, but

the Holy Spirit makes intercession within believers.

but the Spirit himself intercedes for us

It’s the Spirit of God who gains us access to the Father!

How marvelous this all is! We have two intercessors: one in Heaven—

our Lord Jesus who intercedes for our sins (v. 34), and

one in our hearts—the Holy Spirit himself. How greatly we are loved!

Christ intercedes for His children in heaven, but

the Holy Spirit makes intercession within believers.

with unspoken groanings.

Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven (p. 163). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Notice this: The Spirit makes intercession with these unspoken groanings.

Notice this: The Spirit makes intercession with these unspoken groanings.

It’s not a proof text for speaking in tongues.

Remember the context. We’ve read of these groanings.

22 "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 "Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” ()

The creation groans, we groan w/in ourselves. So this becomes metaphorical language or figurative language.

These groanings in v26 are as unheard as going outside and listening audibly for the sound of the creation groaning.

You’re not going to hear that noise! And neither will you hear audibly the Spirit groaning.

Nevertheless, these unspoken groanings are not possible to define.

But would it be an error to say that the Spirit loves the saints so exceedingly that He years for that great day when,

delivered from every speak of sin,

Baker New Testament Commentary: Romans The Three Groanings

Romans 8 teaches that believers have two intercessors: the Holy Spirit and Christ. Christ performs his intercessory task in heaven (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1); the Holy Spirit, on earth. Christ’s intercession takes place outside of us, the Holy Spirit’s within us; that is, in our very hearts (John 14:16, 17). Christ prays that the merits of his redemptive work may be fully applied to those who trust in him. The Holy Spirit prays that the deeply hidden needs of our hearts, needs which we ourselves sometimes do not even recognize, may be met. Christ’s intercession may be compared with that of a father, the head of the family, for all the family members. The Holy Spirit’s intercession reminds us rather of a mother kneeling at the bedside of her ailing child, and in her prayer presenting that child’s needs to the heavenly Father.

they will glorify God forever and ever in the perfection of holiness and joy?

Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, p. 277). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

teaches that believers have two intercessors: the Holy Spirit and Christ.

Christ performs his intercessory task in heaven (; ; ); the Holy Spirit, on earth.

Christ’s intercession takes place outside of us, the Holy Spirit’s within us; that is, in our very hearts (, ).

Christ prays that the merits of His redemptive work may be fully applied to those who trust in Him.

The Holy Spirit prays that the deeply hidden needs of our hearts, needs which we ourselves sometimes do not even recognize, may be met.

Christ’s intercession may be compared with that of a father, the head of the family, for all the family members.

The Holy Spirit’s intercession reminds us rather of a mother kneeling at the bedside of her ailing child,

and in her prayer presenting that child’s needs to the heavenly Father.

Think of Jesus and His humanity. Fully God but also, fully man.

Jesus even sensed that His human will was at odds with His Father’s will.

For that matter, His human will was at odds with His own divine will.

He prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” ().

In His humanity, Jesus recoiled at what was being asked of the Servant.

His human mind was not omniscient, so He had to calculate the cost of what was being required of Him

based solely on the promises of God and the help of the Spirit.

In Gethsemane, Jesus struggled in prayer with His Father’s will.

He wanted His Father’s will to be done;

at the same time, He asked that another way might be revealed.

Earlier Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” ().

He signaled not only a distinction between His will and His Father’s will, but also the possibility that

His natural preferences might not necessarily coincide with the wishes of the Father.

Though Jesus remained sinless throughout His life, the fact that He struggled is surely sublime.

It shows us, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” ()

OUR SHEPHERD IN PRAYER.

Thomas, D. W. H. (2011). How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home (pp. 84–85). Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing.

OUR SHEPHERD IN PRAYER.

27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” ()

Our Shepherd searches our hearts and makes intercession for you according to God’s will!

And he who searches our hearts

In Scripture, God is the One who is described this way. He’s the searcher of your heart this morning.

9 "Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The one who examines the thoughts and emotions is a righteous God.” ()

But it’s God who is said: [He] knows the mind of the Spirit,

knows the mind of the Spirit,

And the Spirit knows the mind of God. 10 "Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” ()

God knows the Holy Spirit’s mind and thus takes full account of the Spirit’s intercession for saints.

Perhaps we should say that as God searches the hearts he finds the “unutterable groanings”

which are the intercession of the Spirit.

He knows the Spirit’s mind, and the implication is that he answers the prayers so offered.

because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Paul is giving encouragement to the humblest of God’s people.

Olyott, S. (1979). The Gospel as It Really Is: Romans Simply Explained (p. 107). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

They may be dissatisfied with their praying,

but they have a powerful intercessor and one who prays for them in accordance with the will of God himself.

Note too that the Holy Spirit is described as constantly interceding “for the saints,”

that is, for those people who have been set apart in order to live lives to the glory of the Triune God.

And since there is perfect harmony between the persons of the Holy Trinity, so that the

Spirit’s intercession, accompanied by groanings,

coincides completely with the Father’s will,

the result must be that this intercession is always effective.

It never fails.

None of the saints is ever lost.

All reach heaven at last.

Let me close with a few helpful suggestions concerning your prayer life.

Pray by the Spirit.

Setting a time for devotion and prayer is like raising the sail on a ship.

It is the means to catch the movement of the Spirit in the same way that a sail catches the wind.

But Christians often fall into two errors in prayer that a sailor would never commit in sailing.

First, imagine watching a person trying to sail when there is no wind.

This person then tries to produce his own wind by blowing or fanning various objects.

What would you observe? You would see no movement.

The person would quickly become tired and discouraged, and would finally give up.

The same is true of prayer.

We can begin with good intentions, firm decisions, and interesting devotions.

We set aside a time to read and pray and we set sail.

But it can happen that we do not move.

We can then begin to work furiously trying to generate our own air current.

We try to produce “the wind” of our

best sincerities and intentions; we try our

best meditation books, our

favorite parts of Scripture,

but we still do not move.

Beeke, J. R., & Beeke, J. W. (2010). Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God (p. 56). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

Brothers and sister, we cannot move the ship but we are called to set the sail so that when the wind of God’s Spirit blows, He moves us!

This is where we rely on His happiness to delight Himself to blow upon our sails.

Your expectation must not be in your own generating power or in your own spirituality.

Pray with, by, and in the Holy Spirit.

Seek His help, guidance, intercession, and sustaining strength in order to pray as you should.

2. Pray dependently. This is true prayer.

True prayer weans the petitioner from self-reliance.

Beeke, J. R., & Beeke, J. W. (2010). Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God (p. 67). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

True prayer looks to the God of prayer—to the One who gives, hears, and answers prayer.

Jesus Christ in heaven is the praying and interceding High Priest for His children;

the Holy Spirit is the praying and interceding Spirit in their hearts.

True prayer does not depend upon us.

We are often like the apostles in the ship during the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

They rowed hard and did everything to bring the ship to land, but could not.

Beeke, J. R., & Beeke, J. W. (2010). Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God (p. 68). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

They were so foolish! They feared and despaired and exhausted themselves, and they did all this while Jesus was sleeping on board.

Finally, at their wits’ end, knowing that they could not safely bring the boat to shore by their own strength and skill,

they cried out to Jesus, pleading for His help.

Were all their fears and worries justified?

With one word of Jesus’ power, the storm was over and there was a great calm.

So we have weaknesses that hinder prayer, SHORT COMINGS in prayer.

We also have SUPPORT in our prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God.

As we look to OUR SHEPHERD as we pray. As He searches our hearts.

So we pray in the Spirit and we pray dependently, that the glory of God may abound in our lives, despite our many weaknesses.

Beeke, J. R., & Beeke, J. W. (2010). Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God (p. 55). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, p. 278). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven (pp. 162–163). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.