When the circumstances of life squeeze hard and leave us gasping for breath, it’s hard to form specific, faith-filled prayers. When the events of a crisis speed past us, and we feel like a puppy that wandered onto the interstate, the mental concentration to petition heaven just isn’t there. When we’re holding on to life and sanity with all we have, and all we have isn’t much, there’s little energy left to claim God’s promises.
This is when the prayers of others carry us.
I’m very fortunate to have brothers and sisters in Christ who pray for me and with me. It is a great gift. I hope you have mighty prayer warriors in your life, but if you don’t, do not despair. Every believer has the greatest prayer warrior in the world interceding for him or her. Romans 8 tells us his name—the Holy Spirit.
The third member of the trinity, God himself, prays for you.
In the dark night of the soul, you are not alone. The Holy Spirit of God is there to strengthen you, guide you, sustain you, and ask God the Father for exactly what you need to make it through. Listen to 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 with groans that words cannot express.”
When we are confused, afraid, weak, and hopeless, God himself, through the person of the Holy Spirit, prays for us.
Not only prays for us, but searches our hearts so deeply that he knows everything in them. He sees our fears, our pain, our guilt, and our shame. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways, but instead of condemning us, he uses his knowledge to pray for us.
And he prays for us according to God’s will.
Because I am mortal, I have limited understanding and wisdom. When I pray for others, I’m not always sure of what to pray. I don’t know what’s best for my friend who’s struggling in her marriage, or my neighbor who’s stuck in a dead end job. I don’t know how to counsel my husband who’s making significant life decisions.
But God is all knowing. We never have to fear that the Holy Spirit will ask for something on our behalf that isn’t God’s best for us. We can trust him. Here’s proof from Scripture:
“And he (God) who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will” (Romans 8:27).
If you’re struggling today, cry out to God. Cling to him in faith, knowing that as you pray, and even if you are unable to pray, God the Holy Spirit is praying for you.
“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men”
(Psalm 107:28-31)
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