Download The Holy Spirit and our prayers

The Holy Spirit and our prayers.
Romans 8:26-27
May 30, 2010
Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
I. Pray in a way that is hopeful and patiently waiting. (Likewise). Paul uses the word likewise here,
which means in the same manner as he was describing in the previous verses. In those verses he was
talking about the value of looking forward to Christ’s return in eager hope and active but patient
waiting. Here he is saying this is the same way we can get help from the Spirit in our prayers. The Spirit
helps us as we come to God in hope and we wait on His answers actively but patiently. So pray
expectantly while doing what God calls you to do, and look forward to His working. Mt. 7: 7 “Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:8 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.9 Or
what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish,
will he give him a serpent?11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Or also
Luke 11: 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at
midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?7 And he
from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in
bed; I cannot rise and give thee.8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is
his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you.10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if
he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a
scorpion?13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 18: “18:1 And he spake a
parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;2 Saying, There was in a
city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she
came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.4 And he would not for a while: but afterward
he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;5 Yet because this widow troubleth me,
I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust
judge saith.7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them?8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Come to God as Father, as Friend, as most reasonable judge of
our needs. As we do that the Holy Spirit helps us with our weakness.
II. The Holy Spirit helps with our weakness. (Not know what to pray for.)
That weakness is that we often don’t know what to pray for? We are often undecided between
praying for what we want, or just saying God whatever you want and so why am I praying? In the
previous 3 parables, the person asking knew what they wanted. It was what they needed. Here in
Romans 8, Paul says our biggest weakness is that we don’t know what to pray for. It is more than just
saying, “Okay God, whatever.” The Holy Spirit helps us know what it is we need even if we can’t
express it at first. How many times have come passionately to God saying, God help me pray for the
right thing. Help me to know what I even need.”? If we seek God’s help ala James 1:5 passionately like
in James 4:8 the Holy Spirit passionaltey comes alongside and helps uspray for what we ought as in 1
Cor. 2: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God.11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
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13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.14 But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit helps us…
III. He does the heavy lifting.
A. He comes alongside us to help us lift this burden of not knowing what to pray for. (with
us). The word is a 3 “parter”: sun which means together with – anti which means in place of – and
lambano which means to take up. He is with us. The picture here is like someone helping you lift a
heavy peace of furniture. He doesn’t just advise you. He doesn’t complain about it. He doesn’t lift it for
you. He doesn’t lift in the wrong spot. When you lift you groan. He groans too in participating with
you. The Holy Spirit lifts with us as we passionately try to even know what we should be praying for.
The older we get, the more we want God’s will and don’t want to pick the wrong thing. Yet we want a
change and want God to help us with our situation, yet in the best way. The Holy Spirit helps us seek
God’s will and when we get to the end of what we can find out, takes it the rest of the way.
B. He helps us plead our case. (intercession). Intercedes means he steps in and does what we are
not able to do. Tim and I have been planning to coach a baseball team this summer. We thought all was
set. All of a sudden we were being hit with an unexpected $1,500 fee which we did not have the means
to deal. We couldn’t make it go away and we couldn’t pay it. Someone at the field interceded on our
behalf. They spoke to get half of it taken away and they found funds to pay the other half. That is the
interceding of the Holy Spirit. He speaks on our behalf when we don’t know what to say. An when we
need help with the heavy lifting He comes in alongside us and does what we cannot do in our own
resources.
C. He groans with us. He passionately joins us.(with groanings). This word speaks to passion.
As we practice praying, we are lifting the spiritual furniture with the Holy Spirit. As we passionately
groan, so does He. He speaks what is not in our vocabulary. He translates the passion of our heart into
the words we cannot say to the Father, and says them in a co-groan with us that we cannot get, but can
experience if we are willing to participate passionately.
IV. Getting prayer lessons from the Holy Spirit.
A. You can know you are doing God’s will when you pray. (Christians according to His will).
Prayer is a way of serving God. Anna the prophetess in Luke 2 served God we are told by staying in the
temple and praying. Phil. 4 gives the command from God that instead of worrying we must
pray. Another reason to pray is that God intends prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a
number of situations. We pray in preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13); to overcome demonic
barriers (Matthew 17:14-21); to gather workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2); to gain strength to
overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41); and to obtain the means of strengthening others spiritually
(Ephesians 6:18-19). We come to God with our specific requests, and we have God's promise that
our prayers are not in vain, even if we do not receive specifically what we asked for (Matthew
6:6; Romans 8:26-27). He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His
will, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15). Sometimes He delays His answers according to
His wisdom and for our benefit. In these situations, we are to be diligent and persistent in prayer
(Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8). Prayer should not be seen as our means of getting God to do our will on
earth, but rather as a means of getting God's will done on earth. God’s wisdom far exceeds our own.
B. It takes daily hard work. (searches, knows, and makes). Jesus said in the Luke 11:5-13 to ask,
seek, and knock. It takes asking God, not just thinking about it. Make your requests known. It takes
seeking God’s will on the subject and trying to do right. It means checking things out by knocking on
the doors of opportunities He provides.
C. God has made our prayers the way for us to change things. (intercession for Christians).
When we pray we don’t change God’s mind. Still this is the way God has made for us to effect changes
in what is going on, on earth and in us as well. JM Boice has said: Does prayer get God to change His
mind? Of course not… to get Him to change would cause Him to be imperfect… the universe would
fall into disorder… Any thinking person wants God to always run things.. But.. does prayer change
things? Yes – because the God who ordains the end also ordains the means… because God … has made
prayer a means to those ends…” Jesus says to seek. In James 4 we are also told that sometimes we
don’t get only because we wither don’t ask or we ask with the wrong motives.
D. We will be encouraged as we read and pray. (the will of God). Matt. 7: 8For everyone who
asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Heb. 11: 6 But
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without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Gal. 6: 9 And let us not grow weary while
doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. The prayer of a
righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16). Ps 119:9-11.
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