Do You Need Help Praying? Series

Romans 8:26-27 – Do You Need Help Praying?

An unknown Confederate soldier wrote these words:

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked God for health that I might do greater things.

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy.

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for – but everything I had hoped for…

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am among all men most richly blessed.

You know, prayer is a challenge. If it weren’t hard, people would do it more often. We would have as many people to prayer meeting as we have on Sunday mornings, we wouldn’t have books and books on how to pray, and the apostle Paul would not have written this paragraph… if, prayer came easy. Let’s read Romans 8:26-27.

Norwegian theologian Ole Hallesby gives a very good definition of prayer. He says, “To pray is nothing more involved that to let Jesus into our needs. To pray is to give Jesus permission to employ His powers in the alleviation of our distress.”

Now, that sounds simple enough, but prayer takes time. It takes effort. It takes humbling. And these aren’t so simple. It would be easier to pray if we received instant results from our prayers. Like a loonie in a vending machine, “instant in, instant out”. But God does not punish sin instantly, nor does He answer prayer instantly. I think the reason is that God’s best gift to us is not whatever we prayer for. I think God’s best gift to us is to teach us – about Himself, about ourselves, about His ways. And one thing that God certainly is, is patient. So, He wants to teach us to wait for Him.

In fact, God wants to teach us to pray. And like any other schooling, prayer involves some work. An anonymous author wrote these words: “‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray/ And I know He has answered prayer,/ But it has been in such a way/ As almost drove me to despair.” Again, God is not looking for a quick fix of your situation, but a long-term fix of your character. Which is occasionally painful.

But the plus side is that God is on our side in the process. Our scripture today says that the Holy Spirit is right along there with us in our prayers. And what I find encouraging is one word in today’s passage: groans. It’s the same word that we looked at last week in connection to suffering. V22 says that the whole creation is groaning, as if it’s giving birth to something beautiful. No matter how glorious the new life is, it still hurts to bring it about.

And v23 says that we who are God’s children are also groaning, burning and yearning for the glorious future ahead of us. We are in anguish over the situation of the world, and we are in anguish over the fact that even though we really want to serve God with our whole hearts, everything around us holds us back. And it frustrates us. That’s why we are longing for something better, something more.

And v26 says that the Spirit groans too. He’s longing for something better for us. He sees our weaknesses and failures. He sees our hearts, but He also sees what is making it so difficult for us. He knows we lack the power for prolonged concentration. He knows how hard it is for us to avoid distractions. He sees our mental conditions, and how hard it is to stop all wandering thoughts. He sees our uncontrolled passions, and knows how hard it is to govern our feelings. He knows our bodies, and our inabilities to prevent emotional changes. He understands our limited understanding, to know what lies in the future. And He is fully aware that we have no clue as to what is really best for us, and our growth in any given situation.

These are the issues we deal with, and these are the things that cause sympathy to rise up within the Spirit of God to help us move past them. This verse, as well as the next, says that the Spirit is actually praying for us. The word is “interceding”. It means to confer with. It means to entreat or plead and beg. It means to deal with. The word implies that the Spirit goes to the Father to talk about us. It’s no wonder this passage follows hot on the heels of the previous thought, not so much of suffering, but of hope. This is a wonderful truth. The Spirit is praying for us, and in that we can take hope.