The Holy Spirit: Our Constant Intercessor and Comfort in Prayer

Prayer is such an incredible gift from God. We’re invited to come before the Creator of the universe at any time, and when we do, we receive his undivided attention. Even if millions of people pray to him at the same time, his focus is on each of us simultaneously. What a blessing.

Prayer is a great gift, but how many people have someone who prays for them regularly? How many people do you know who have someone praying for them by name before God? I would guess the number is not too high. Some may have a parent or a grandparent, but aside from that, it’s rare. Most people don’t have that kind of support.

I keep a prayer journal – well, actually, now I have two because one is full – and they’re packed with prayer requests. Sometimes, I’ll mention to someone that I’ve been praying for them, or I’ll check in on a prayer request from before, and their reaction always surprises me. They’re genuinely amazed that I remembered, that someone would take the time to call out their name in prayer. I smile and say, “Well, you asked me to!”

We need people interceding on our behalf in prayer. But even when people fail to pray for us, the Bible tells us that every Christian has someone who intercedes on our behalf: the Holy Spirit.

We have, in fact, two intercessors: Jesus (see Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, and 1 John 2:1) and the Holy Spirit.

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul:

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. (Romans 8:26-27)

Let’s dive into this, because it’s simply amazing. We’re human, and we have all of the weaknesses that entails. Paul isn’t saying the Holy Spirit helps us when we’re weak; he says, “in our weakness” (italics mine). Our ongoing status as imperfect people means we’re always weak, and the Holy Spirit is constantly helping us.

Our weakness also means we don’t know God’s will, so sometimes we aren’t sure how to pray. Do we pray that we get this job, or is that not God’s will? Should we pray that God allows us to buy this house, or is there another house that’s better for us? Do we pray for a loved one to live, or for God to stop their suffering? 

We’re not sure what God wants. We know what we want, but not what God wants. We don’t know what we need, either. When we struggle with how we should be praying, it’s a comfort to know that the Holy Spirit knows both God’s will and our needs, and he prays for both.

Life often gets too busy, or we become tired, and we neglect to spend time with God in prayer. Is it not a comfort to know that during those times, the Holy Spirit is still praying? He never gets too busy or too tired to intercede for us.

There are times in our lives when we receive such good news that we’re overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving. You’re so excited that all you can do is say, “Thank you!” over and over. If you had the time to sit and write a thank-you note to God, you could fill up several pages. But at the time, your heart is so filled with gratitude that you can hardly speak. The Holy Spirit knows your heart, and he expresses your heart full of thanks to the Father when you can’t even put it into words.

At other times, you may be in pain and can’t even form a coherent thought. All you can do is fall to your knees and cry, “Father.” The Holy Spirit knows the prayer and prays it for you. There are times when I’ve been so distraught that I’ve gone before God and said, “I don’t know how to pray!” But I knew he was praying on my behalf!

The beauty of the Holy Spirit is that he knows the Father’s will and therefore knows exactly what to pray. Even though the Spirit’s words aren’t expressed, because he and the Father are one, the Father knows the prayer. That’s incredible! That means when the Spirit prays for us, his prayer is always in the Father’s will, so his prayer is always effective. Always. So when we’re not sure how to pray, when all we can do is ask for God’s will to be done — whatever that is — we know that the Holy Spirit is already praying for us perfectly in the will of God, and those prayers will be answered. 

I don’t know about you, but the thought of the Spirit of God praying for me is an incredible comfort. 

The Holy Spirit knows our hearts, and he knows the heart and will of the Father. When we don’t pray or don’t know how to pray, he prays for us. 

Don’t take this for granted. Spend a few moments today thanking the Holy Spirit for this phenomenal gift. 

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