In Romans 8:26-27, Paul provides Christians with the antidote to a misconception of God’s character that kills prayer faster than weed killer eliminates grass. The error or fear that Paul sets his sights on in Romans 8:26-27 is the belief that a poorly informed prayer will cause the God of the Bible to do less than his best for his children. Some Christians fear that their heavenly Father will be like an earthly father who abandons his three-cookie plan for the two-cookie plan because his daughter only asked for two cookies instead of three. For example, the sister fears that she married Greg not because Greg was God’s best for her but because Greg was the object of her prayers. Had she prayed differently, she would have secured a better husband and a happier marriage…the one that God was going to give prior to her prayers for Greg. In other words, if prayer can inadvertently secure less than God’s best, Christians would be justified in assuming that they often be better off not praying than praying wrongly.
Paul’s antidote to such thinking? Recall the character of Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the knowledge of the Father.
Recall Jesus’ Character
Jesus proved that his character was free of trickery and deceit when he died on the cross, was buried, and rose again to accomplish the greatest good for his followers: their salvation from sin and death. And just as Jesus delighted in saving his people from their ultimate demise, he also delights in saving them from their current difficulties, hardships, and struggles. The Jesus who delighted in healing the woman with the flow of blood, casting out demons, and purifying lepers is the same Jesus who sits in the heavenly throne room listening to our prayers. Because of this reality, the author of Hebrews encourages Christians to come boldly to the throne of grace without fear or hesitation. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).” When believers ask God for help, they can be sure that Jesus will do what is best for them because Jesus is always good.
Recall the Work of the Holy Spirit
And not only is Jesus good, he gives Christians the help of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit proves to be the greatest of gifts because the Spirit regenerates and sanctifies the believer. The Spirit opens a believer’s eyes during the salvific process so that he can understand his sin, the work of Christ, and then respond to that work with repentance and faith. As Paul explains to Titus in Titus 3:5: “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
The Spirit also sanctifies believers, enabling them to become more like Christ as they seek to work out their faith. As the apostle Peter notes in 1 Peter 1:2, Christians grow in righteousness through “the sanctification of the Spirit.”
Though much of the Spirit’s sanctification work takes place on earth, it also possesses an important heavenly aspect. Paul writes in Romans 8:26: “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.” As Christians march through this world of hurts, sorrows, pains, disappointments, and suffering, the Spirit helps believers with their prayers. When death threatens, relationships break down, or pain wrecks their bodies, the Spirit comes alongside Christians who can do little more than groan “God help me,” and takes their full set of needs to the Father and the Son.
The Spirit’s intercession work also mitigates the danger of praying against God’s secret will. Even when a Christian asks for the wrong thing because of sin (lusting after marriage) or simply from a lack of knowledge (should I date Greg or Fred), the Spirit will always advocate for the Christian’s best outcome in accordance with Jesus’ good character. Such knowledge of the Spirit’s working gave Paul comfort when Jesus refused to remove the thorn from Paul’s flesh. Writing of that incident in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”’ The Father and the Son through the Spirit gave Paul the best outcome for his soul even when he did not ask for it. Consequently, the woman may be certain that Greg was always God’s bes’t for her regardless of how hard her marriage becomes. Even if she asked wrongly, the Spirit asked rightly.
Recall The Knowledge of the Father
And not only does the Spirit ask rightly, his prayers and messages always get to the Father, ensuring their perfect implementation. In Romans 8:27, Paul explains, “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.” The person of the Trinity who searches hearts is the Father as the broader witness of Scripture makes clear. Jeremiah 17:10 proclaims: “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind.” The Father perfectly knows the thoughts of the Spirit who intercedes for us according to God’s will. The Spirit’s requests, which reflect Jesus’ good plans for his saints, always come to the Father perfectly intact, untainted by human sin or limitations. In other words, the Christian’s prayers will always turn out for the best not because he prays best and true but because Jesus is good, the Spirit is working, and the Father has knowledge. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:11, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Final Thoughts
The Spirit’s prayers on the Christian’s behalf do not guarantee a life of ease, comfort, or peace. Many times, God’s best will lead believers into seasons of hardship and sorrow as the apostle Paul’s life makes clear. He lived “in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers (2 Cor 11:26).” The Lord will call sisters to faithfully live in marriages with Greg’s of this world. And when Christians find themselves in hardships and surrounded by suffering, they should pray and pray boldly knowing that through their prayers and the prayers of the Spirit “all things work together for good (Rom 8:28).”