Partnering with the Holy Spirit
ICS Daily Devotions

Romans 8:26 (NKJV) 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.

Prayer is not a formula, especially when it comes to intercession. Rather, it is a relationship and partnership with the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit being the senior partner in the relationship, who has graciously brought us alongside Him to pray for someone or a situation.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NKJV) For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

The Holy Spirit will intercede with groanings and through tongues when we are unable to articulate our prayers in the known language. Also, the Holy Spirit will intercede for us in accordance with the will of God, which is always perfect and good. This is the reason why the Apostle Paul encourages us to pray in both the understanding and in the Spirit. When we pray in the known language, we are praying in the understanding, but when we pray in tongues, it is in the Spirit. Therefore, even though we may be uncomfortable or unaware of what is being uttered through us in tongues, we should not despise praying in tongues because it is a way for us to partner with the Holy Spirit to pray through a situation for ourselves when we are weak. We should also allow the Holy Spirit to help us to pray when God places a burden in our hearts, especially when we do not know why, who or what the burden is about.

However, we must always remember that the prayer of intercession must be done out of love and compassion for others. Love for the person and for God helps us to yield to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit working through our love will flow out of our inner being to intercede for the person, and may even reveal certain things to us pertaining to the situation or the person if we are sensitive to Him. Lastly, in order to be a good and honourable vessel of God, we must be humble.

We are actually shielding our loved ones from the fiery darts of the evil one when we stand in the gap between God and the onslaught of the devil, but we can take heart that we are interceding from a position of victory and enforcing the victory of Jesus Christ using His name. Meanwhile, we also need to trust that God will act in the spiritual realm as we wait for the result to be manifested in the physical realm.

Sermon Series: Partnering in Prayer with God through Intercession