The Spirit Helps Us in Our Weakness

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.” -Romans 8:26

Though we believers must rely on the Spirit of God for the fullness of adoption as sons—that is, the full realization of our redemption—by persevering in our present condition, we are not left without help. The same Spirit of God also helps us in our weakness. He helps us by interceding for us in prayer too.

Often we struggle not knowing exactly how to pray, or what to pray for. But the Spirit intercedes on our behalf when our groanings are too deep for words. The Greek word for groaning is στεναγμός (stenagmos) and means an involuntary expression of great concern, like a sigh.

Interestingly, Paul is clearly making a connection between ideas by using the word groanings for something that creation does, something humans do, and also something it appears the Spirit does.

The groaning that creation and humans make are similar to each other in that they are related to the burden of the curse upon us. However, the groaning associated with the Spirit is his intercession on our behalf through our inarticulate groanings. He helps us in our weakness, our inability to know what to pray for as we ought.

One clue here worth considering is the “Likewise” at the beginning of the verse. The “likewise” refers to the Spirit’s helping us in our weakness, an antecedent to a previously-mentioned activity of the Spirit: bearing witness with our spirit about our adoption.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” -Romans 8:16, 26

The Spirit not only bears witness to our spirit, assuring us of our adoption, but also helps us in our weakness of not knowing what to pray for when our burdens are too heavy for words.

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