Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Jude 1:20 says, praying in the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 14:14 says, For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful…
What these two scriptures are talking about when they state “praying in the Spirit”, is what Paul is referring to in Romans 8:26.
In Ephesians Paul says:
the eyes of your understanding are illuminated with wisdom and revelation (Eph 1:16-17);
you are strengthened with might by God’s Spirit in your inner man (Eph 3:16);
God will do immeasurably more than what you can think or ask (Eph 3:20).
The key to all of these is praying in the spirit – i.e. the “help” of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not inside you to point out all your faults or nag you when you do wrong. He is there to help you, especially when you don’t know what to pray for.
Now it doesn’t say “When I don’t know what to pray for, since the Holy Spirit makes intercession for me, I will leave the praying to him”. The Holy Spirit cannot make intercession for you without your participation, and, when you look closely at Romans 8:26 and the keywords, it becomes crystal clear that we are in a partnership with the Holy Spirit.
The word “help” is a long word in the original Greek text – “sunantilambanomai” – meaning “to take hold together against”. It means you and the Holy Spirit are taking hold of something together. Every time you pray in tongues, you and the Holy Spirit are taking hold of those things you are praying for together. It might be to break the power of bondages or addictions in your life, or for health to flow throughout your body, or for financial breakthrough. Whatever it is, you and the Holy Spirit are taking hold of the same things together in the Spirit!
Now if you just sit back in your life and you don’t adopt this posture of prayer – if you don’t start taking hold of the problem through prayer, the Holy Spirit also has nothing to take hold of. If you are not praying, then the Holy Spirit is not praying. If you keep quiet, then even though the Holy Spirit wants to pray through you – He can’t. But when you begin praying in your heavenly language – together, you and the Holy Spirit, can take hold of that problem and look at what verse 28 promises:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose”.
Everything will eventually work out in accordance with His purposes! God will see to that.
Let me encourage you to establish a daily prayer life of praying in the Holy Spirit. It will transform your entire household!