5 Ways The Holy Spirit Helps Me When I Pray

6 June 2017 Year A

Romans 8:26-27

I need help when I pray. I have a hard time praying. That may sound strange coming from a pastor, but the fact is that it is true. I don’t always pray like I should. I get distracted. I get discouraged. I am weak when it comes to prayer.

However, I am thankful that God has given me the Holy Spirit to help me when I pray. Let me share with you five ways in which the Holy Spirit helps when when I pray:

5 WAYS THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS ME WHEN I PRAY

1. He prays with me – “joins” (Romans 8:26)

It is comforting to know that when I am praying about anyting, I am not alone. The Comforter Whom Jesus sent to me helps me when I pray. It is like having Jesus sit with me when I am praying. The Holy Spirit is literally my prayer partner.

2. He prays for me – “intercedes” (Romans 8:26)

Because the Holy Spirit is my prayer partner, He doesn’t just join me in prayer. The Spirit prays for me. He prays for me on my behalf before God. I think the reason He does this is because many times, I need help praying.

3. He interprets what I am feeling – “unspoken groaning” (Romans 8:26)

The reason I need help praying is because I have emotions that can get in the way. I don’t know about you, but there are many times I am praying and words don’t completely express what I am feeling. I have these emotions and the Spirit knows these emotions. Sometimes I am expressing emotions and I don’t know why.

When I am crying, the Spirit knows why. Sure, it could be a sign of depression, but it could also be the Spirit helping me.

When I am angry, the Spirit knows why. Sure, it could be a sign that I have a problem, but the Spirit knows why – even when I can’t admit it to myself.

The fact is that we have emotions. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to help me pray through these emotions.

Now some people think that these “unspoken groans” are a specific prayer language. It is possible, but I think that because this language is with “groans” that no one can express.

4. He searches my feelings – “hearts” (Romans 8:27)

Obi-Wan and Anakin both told Luke Skywalker to search his feelings to know that something is true. The fact is that we can’t search our feelings very well. The Holy Spirit cuts through the cloud of confusion and searches our feelings and hearts to know what we really want to pray for.

5. He helps me pray “according to God’s will” (Romans 8:27)

I don’t always pray for God’s will. And even when I do, I don’t always do that very well. However, the Holy Spirit knows God’s will. It is part of the Holy Spirit’s mind-set or mentality to intercede according to God’s will. That means that the Holy Spirit takes my prayer, and even though I don’t know if I am praying God’s will, the Holy Spirit knows God’s will. He prays on my behalf and prays for me. The Holy Spirit helps to align my will with God’s will in prayer.

Now it may take many meetings in prayer for me to realize God’s will. The Holy Spirit may have to speak to me in various ways to show me God’s will. But the Holy Spirit objective is to get me to see God’s will in my prayer life every time.

Photo courtesy of Will van Wingerden from Unsplash.