Ephesians 4:4-6, One Spirit, our Helper in prayer and builder of the one body.

Tuesday October 27, 2020

 

In one passage, the Holy Spirit intercedes for the believer as he prays. This should excite your prayer life. He guides the believer and prays for him to the Father.

 

Rom 8:26-27

And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

 

This truth eliminates all prayers by rote. Since it is true that we don’t know how to pray as we should, we have to rely on Someone who knows how. We are promised the Holy Spirit to take that role. However, we go to God with desire. Desire, right or wrong, doesn’t need to be explained in proper words or procedures. It just is.

 

Pray to God with proper desire for His good things, unworried about phrasing or style, and the Holy Spirit will intercede.

 

The question arises as to why the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus intercede for us.

 

Rom 8:33-34

Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

 

Certainly, the Father can read our minds and understand our desire without intercession on behalf of the other members of the Trinity. The Bible doesn’t address the question, but I think one thing that is clear, is that knowing the Holy Spirit and the Son of God are interceding for us, though in our finite minds, don’t know how to pray, is comfort. We are praying to the Father and the Son and the Spirit are in essence praying with us, their hands on our shoulders, guiding us, and helping us.

 

We will see the results of proper prayer ‘helped’ by God the HS and God the Son and be greatly encouraged to pray more.

 

Joh 14:13-14

“And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

 

The preceding context: You will do great works.

 

Joh 15:7

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.”

 

Preceding context: He who abides in Me bears much fruit.

 

Joh 15:16

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.”

 

Preceding context: Friends know Me and do what I command, bearing fruit.

 

Joh 16:23

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name.”

 

Preceding context: You will behold Me.

 

We find in the gospels that the Son found a need to constantly communicate with the Father. We should not be surprised that the perfect Father/Son relationship would have it this way.

 

Mar 1:35-37

And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for Him; 37 and they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

 

Luk 5:15-16

But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and great multitudes were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

 

Luk 6:12

And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

 

The next morning, Jesus called out His twelve disciples and then spoke the Sermon on the Mount.

 

Mat 14:23

And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

 

Immediately after, He walked on the water of the Sea of Galilee to His disciples in the boat.

 

It was an important part of the life of the Son of God to pray to the Father. The Son made us sons, and now we share that same part.

 

In Rom 8, Gal 4, Joh 3, and 1Jo 4 we find God as the subject, the verb ‘sending’ as the predicate, and the Son as the object, followed by a final clause introduced by hina (so that) or purpose clause. These point to a soteriological significance to the sending of the Son of God (in particular that title is used in all of the above references). All believers have been liberated from the power of sin and the law and appointed to the relationship of being sons of God themselves. In the use of the title Son of God the word of God shows us that we have been appointed sons of God. If the Son found a need to constantly communicate with the Father, so must we, knowing that the Holy Spirit and the Son intercede for us.

 

There is so much to prayer, and as scripture tells us, we don’t know how to do it properly. We ask for things when we should ask for humility. We ask for humility when we should ask for humiliation. What is the order of things? What must happen now and today that will in the future build my virtue and capacity? How could we know with such finite and simple minds? But the Holy Spirit and the Son intercede for us, help us, and God so bids us to keep at it continually.

 

Christ instructed His disciples, and so us, to keep on praying, even for the same thing. Not because the Father forgets or needs pestering, but so that we will not lose heart.  

 

Luk 18:1-8

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man. 3 "And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 "And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out.' " 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

 

The conundrum is the same here as it is for other questions about prayer: sovereignty and omniscience. Now it seems that God has to be bothered enough to move on your behalf. Notice, Luke informs us that this was about being shown to pray at all times and not lose heart. Not lose heart means that the timing of God’s answers will not meet our own. As we keep asking, when it comes, we know it was from Him alone. If we ask once, see no result, and then set off to make things work in our own efforts, then when the results come, we might easily give ourselves credit. God doesn’t need to be pestered or reminded, but our faith is feeble and weak, and it needs to be cared for, and this is one way in which it is. “I see you haven’t acted yet Lord, but I pray for Your deliverance again, for only You are able to deliver righteously.”