"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
I read this in my Bible today and it really hit home to me! I can't tell you the number of times I have tried to talk to God, but I was just so distraught that I couldn't even think of words... just pain. Or times when I've been wanting to ask something of God, but I don't even know what it was... hopefully you understand what I mean because I don't know how to explain it (thus the point).
Something that I always find intimidating is that when you read through the Old Testament, there are a TON of ceremonial things to do before coming into the presence of God that if they were not completed exactly how He commanded, you'd die. Coming before the Throne of Grace is no small thing!! With that in mind, how many times do you pray for really trivial things? I know that I have prayed for some incredibly dumb things that looking back at now, it's almost like I was asking God to be my Infinite Wizard instead of an all powerful God who is worthy of an enormous amount of respect. For real, the more you think about how powerful God is, the more terrifying it is to know that you've asked for something so stupid as $100. I don't know how to explain it. But then there are the times when you know that you are asking something perfectly reasonable of God. Like, what is His will for your life? Why is He doing what He is doing? Why did this bad thing happen? Don't be afraid to ask God those questions! He's big enough and powerful enough to handle those things. He's not going to be mad at you for being absolutely broken over something that's happened. As long as you don't sin in the process.
But while we no longer have to go through all the ceremonies before entering the presence of God, He is still just as worthy of our honor and respect. So that's where this verse comes in. The Holy Spirit intercedes. What that means is the Spirit hears our prayers, and then He takes them, gets to the base of what we are REALLY asking for, and takes it to God in a way that honors Him. In other words, when you're asking for that Dodge Viper SRT10, the Spirit is asking God to supply you with what you need... which at the time may be a 1995 Honda Civic EX with a big dent in the right bumper.
I just think that it's really amazing to know that God has given us a Helper who is able to see into our hearts and know exactly what we need to be praying for, and He takes it right to the feet of the Father. What I think is the most incredible is how the Spirit can hear the cries of our hearts and take the pain that we can't even put into words right to the Father.
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