Holy Spirit, Our Helper in Times of Prayer

I’m sure you can relate to me when I say that sometimes I have no idea what to pray for or get stuck on what to pray for a person or a particular circumstance. There have also been times during my quiet times with God when I wanted to pray, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t focus on what to pray for, nor did I have the words to express it. Times when I felt so stressed and weak because of a situation that I had no strength or the desire to pray. You might be saying to yourself Yes, I do face the same challenges with prayer. And because of these experiences, you might have felt weak in your prayer life and even thought you might not have the gift of praying like others do. In fact, you might have thought to yourself that this gift is for everyone else but not you. I want to let you know that it’s okay to feel that way; in fact, if you have been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably struggled with prayer. I also want to let you know that I have some good news for you, and the good news is that Jesus knew we would face times like this, and that’s why He said, “I must go so that the helper (the Holy Spirit) comes to your aid (John 16:7).”

In Romans 8:26-27, we read, 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.

In these verses, the apostle Paul reminds the believers that we are not left alone in our frailty, and that God’s own Spirit comes alongside us to assist and intercede on our behalf. Let’s dive into these verses and glean what we can learn from Apostle Paul about struggles in prayer.

In verse 26, Paul tells us that the Spirit “helps” us. The Greek word “help” in this context is (sunantilambanetai), which means “to take hold together with and carry a load on behalf of someone.” This vividly illustrates what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. So, what Paul is saying is that the Holy Spirit will come and help us by bearing the other side of the load when we feel exhausted, uncertain what to pray for, unable to find words, confused about what to pray for, lacking the desire to pray, or lacking confidence in prayer. The Holy Spirit will come to our aid to lift that burden and assure us that He is with us. The weakness that Paul has mentioned is not just physical or mental frailty, but also a spiritual inability to know the will of God due to our limited human capacity.

A pastor explains it like a father and a son on the basketball court. His little boy lobbed the ball overhead as hard as he could—an awkward, feeble throw. But then, dad added his strength to the throw, pushing the ball through the air into the basket. The father knew that the son wouldn’t be able to make the shot due to his limitations in height and strength, but he stood there to ensure that with his help, the ball would still get into the basket. Similarly, our Father is aware of our limitations and weaknesses, and just as this father, the Holy Spirit stands with us to help us in our prayer. When you feel exhausted by a circumstance and feel like you have no strength or desire left in you to pray, remember that the Holy Spirit that lives in you has promised to lift the heavy burden of exhaustion and to support you and help you to bring that weight to the Father. That’s why it is said in Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He wants to take all the heaviness and burdens from us, but we must also remember that God is glorified in our weakness.

Verse 26 continues by saying, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

One thing we need to realize is that prayer is a Trinitarian activity. We pray to the Father through Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we sometimes struggle with what to pray for in times of subering, and it’s easy to find ourselves in doubt and confusion about God’s will and purpose. Sometimes we don’t know whether to pray for healing, deliverance from an abliction, or the grace to endure the situation. Or when we don’t have any words to say or even know where to start, we can be sure that the Spirit is there to intercede for us. When I pray, I always invite the Holy Spirit into my prayer by saying, “Come, Holy Spirit.” By doing this, I acknowledge my weakness in not knowing His will and also ask the Spirit to intercede for me in prayer. I also pray a lot in tongues, and one way I believe that the Spirit intercedes for me and aligns my heart and prayer with God’s will, especially in times when I don’t know what to pray for, is through praying in tongues.

Finally, in verse 27, we read, “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. In this verse, Paul tells us that the Father knows the desires of our hearts. Since the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one, the Spirit who intercedes for us takes our prayers and polishes them in a way that aligns with the will of God. Sometimes I don’t know the will of God for the person or the situation I’m praying for, but because I know the Spirit intercedes for God’s people, He will refine and align my prayer to make it in line with God’s will. A pastor once said, ‘Sometimes all we need to say is” Oh God” and be sure that God has heard our prayer because, as the Psalmist also confirms, God has searched our hearts and knows all about us (Psalm 139:1-4). All we need to do is come into His presence.

Additionally, the Spirit may sometimes direct us to specific scripture to help us discern His will. The book of Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is alive, revealing the truth and leading us to His will. One way to delve deeper into the Word is by participating in the Coastal School of Mission, where you can truly immerse yourself in the living Scripture. You can find out more info on our website. Lastly, I want to encourage you to respond by praying boldly and honestly, knowing that the Holy Spirit will help you in your infirmities and carry your needs to the Father. What might seem like weak, halting progress can rise before God as powerful and effective petitions because they have been carried by the Holy Spirit’s infinite love and insight.