And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:26-28 NLT)
Have you every been at a place in life where you felt as though your life has been turn upside down? You emphatically trust and love God, but you are facing difficulties and hardships to survive in this economy? Paul wrote Romans 8:26-28 to comfort us during those difficult times to strengthen our faith in God. It is such a great honor and privilege to serve a Mighty God who steps in and intercedes on our behalf when we lack the strength to pray. When we don’t have the words to verbalize our hurts, He comprehends our cries and groans. Which other god is capable of doing that? None. Buddha, Allah, Muhammad, or any of the other gods that people worship cannot comfort or intercedes on their behalf when they are weak naturally or spiritually. The Holy Spirit is the only one that can bring perform such a feat in the lives of believers. Believers are those who have repented of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
God understands what the Spirit desires even though it is inexpressible in human terms (v. 27). God is the one who has complete access to the heart. His knowledge is direct, not dependent upon one’s ability to articulate concerns. God is a searcher of hearts and knows the desires of our spirit, as His Holy Spirit intercedes for us in harmony with his will. No passage of Scripture provides greater encouragement for prayer. The Spirit comes to the aid of believers baffled by the perplexity of prayer and takes their concerns to God with an intensity far greater than we could ever imagine. Our groans (v. 23) become his (v. 26) as he intercedes on our behalf.1
There are circumstances that take place in our lives, many times we do not understand why and may ask the question ‘Has God forsaken me?’ The answer to that question is ‘No, He has not forsaken you.’ First, let’s get this clear, if a believer is being disobedient and steps out of the Will of God, then everything is not working for your good. Romans 8:28 states ‘God causes everything to work together for the good of those who LOVE GOD and are CALLED according to his purpose for them.’ As believers, Jesus is in control of every circumstance that occur in our lives, we may view the ‘good’ that Paul mention as suffering but He views it as beneficial for us. We are here to bring glory to Him and many times it comes through trials and persecutions. We are reassured in this Scripture that no matter what we face in life, God is working it out for our good. Whenever we find ourselves at the place where the words will not flow from our lips and the only sound that comes forth is groaning or crying, go ahead! Cry and groan to the Sovereign One, Jesus, because that’s the time the Holy Spirit will step in and intercede on our behalf to the Father.
Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie
1 Mounce, Robert H., The New American Commentary, Romans Volume 27. Nashville, TN: Bradman & Holman Publishers, 1995