The Holy Spirit is the person of God who intercedes for us on earth. Here is a picture of His intercession.
1. He prays for us. A big part of the intercession of the Holy Spirit is His prayer for us. While Jesus is praying for us in heaven, the Holy Spirit is praying for us here on earth in our hearts.
Romans 8:27 says that He intercedes for us “according to God.” Most translations say that He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. However, a literal translation should read “according to God”, leaving out “the will of”. William Newel states, “We feel that the introduction of the words ‘the will of’ before the word God, merely obscures the meaning.” He states that the phrase “according to God” is a more “all inclusive” and “blessed expression.” Newel says it this way: “We know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit makes intercession in us, ‘according to God,’ according to His nature (of which we are partakers); according to our needs, which He discerns; according to our dangers, which He foresees—according to all the desires He has towards us.”
And how does He pray for us? Romans 8:26 says “But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (NLT). These groans I think are the deep, inexpressible sighs and feelings of love He has for us. He loves us with an everlasting love; and He longs for that day of our full redemption (Rom. 8:23).
Now His prayers for us are not at all separate from ours. In fact, His groanings are the same groanings we have. When we groan in prayer He groans in prayer; and when He groans in prayer we groan in prayer. For He dwells in us. And when He prays for us He prays in us and through us. Therefore, His prayers become our prayers. Thus whenever we pray we are praying “in the Spirit.”
2. He teaches us. The Holy Spirit is our teacher in all of life. He helps us to understand the Word—all that God has said to us and is still saying to us. From the Word He shows us what the will of the Father is; and He brings us to His side. He also teaches us how to be patient and how to abide in Christ.
He teaches us to pray. The Bible tells us (in Romans 8:26) that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. In this context, the weakness is that we do no not know what we should pray for; hence, it is how we are in the flesh without the filling of the Spirit. But when we set our mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:6), and when we by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body, then we make ourselves available and teachable so that He can teach us how to pray.
When the Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray, it isn’t as if He stands in front of us, lecturing us; but rather, He teaches us as our private tutor, someone who is always with us and near us. He is in fact in us, bringing us close to the Father and the Son. Yes, the Holy Spirit is the agent that carries us to the Spirit of the Father and of the Son (Rom. 8:9). And so He brings us into the fellowship of the Godhead. There He teaches us the will of the Father, shows us the love of the Son, and makes us feel His own groanings.
3. He aids us. Along with praying for us, the Holy Spirit helps us, or aids us in bearing our trials and in prayer (Rom. 8:26). Intercession isn’t just praying for another, it is coming along side and helping. In His aid to us He comforts us, speaks to us, and strengthens us. He is our friend who helps us bares our burdens. Sometimes He says to us, “Climb on my back and I will carry you. We will go together. We will pray together.”
He is also our creator who breathes His life and His prayers into us. As E.M. Bounds has said, “We pray by Him, through Him and in Him. He puts the prayer in us and we give it utterance and heart.”
But in saying that, we must not get the idea that we have no will in our praying—that because He breaths His prayers into us, we have no choice but to pray whatever He prays. That is not the case at all. He gives us a clear choice all along the way. We choose to abide in Him. We choose to follow Him. We choose to pray according to His will. When He breathes His prayer into us, it is what we have desired all along. So, we don’t just pray what He desires. They are in fact our desires as well.
4. He brings our prayers to God and interprets them to God. Do you ever worry that your prayers are not adequate, that you don’t pray too well? Well, we don’t have to worry about that, because the Holy Spirit interprets to the Father what is really on our heart. This is partly what it means in Romans 8:26 when it says that the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for us.” What I think He actually does is He makes sense out of everything we pray and He straightens out and corrects every prayer so that they come out perfect, according to how we really feel. Yes, the Spirit expresses to the Father our own feelings much better than we ever could; and the Father accepts them as our own prayers.
Prayer A to Z 
wHAT AN OUTSTANDING JOB GOD IS DOING THROUGH YOUR LIFE FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST. THANK YOU FOR LOVING GOD JUST THAT MUCH TO LOVE AND SHARE WITH OUR LIVES THE GIFTS OF gGOD’S HOLY SPIRIT . WE LOVE YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE.
Well said, Lindsey. Stephen’s teaching blog, on Biblical prayer, is so needed nowadays — and we can thank God for Stephen’s labor of love in providing this valuable blog to those who” have eyes to see”!
Lindsey,
Thank yu for your kind words. I pray the best for you.
Stephen
God is really a Good God, always there for us
Thank you so much for that good reminder, He is good. He’s good to me.
how beautifully put and so true!!!
Thank you Linda! I’m glad that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. It makes me feel loved.
This was really helpful to me Mr. Stephen. It is so great to know that the Holy Spirit not only prays for us, but is always here to help in our time of need. God bless you and continue to give the world what God places in your spirit.
This was really helpful to me Mr. Stephen. It is so great to know that the Holy Spirit not only prays for us, but is always here to help in our time of need. God bless you and continue to give the world what God places in your spirit.
Thank you so much for your encouragement.
Stephene Nielsen thank you. Wow! did not know this like that. you really brake it down so simple. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t know if I was praying the right way. The fact that the holy spirit corrects you to the father so He receives your prayers that’s nice to know.
Yes Hector, We don’t have to worry about how we pray, if we get all the words right. The Holy Spirit is like our editer. God’s know our heart anyway, even before we pray.
“Editor” is a good way to explain the Holy Spirit’s enhancement of our prayers. It’s good to know that our prayers are proof-read and edited “on the way up” to God the Father.
Thank you for helping me understand the Holy Spirit more. Just this week I began “praying in the spirit,” although growing up I was not taught anything about the Holy Spirit. It is such a wonderful gift, and has made my faith in God even greater. Thank you!
Your welcome. I’m glad I was able to help.
Wonderful article
Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your interpretation of the scriptures with us. I feel more confident about my prayers like now. I typed in the Holy Spirit intercedes in prayer and your webpage came up. I accept this as my answer. Thanks again. I really needed to read this message.
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad the Lord was able to use this blog to aid you. I wish you well in your studies and in your effort to do His will. And be assured that when you pray the holy Spirit is always there to help you.
Thank you very much for this information. I’m one of those people who wouldn’t pray simply because I felt my prayers were not adequate. Now that I have the Holy Spirit who intercedes for me and corrects my prayers, I feel strong now to pray again.
I’m glad to hear that. Thanks for commenting. Yes, keep praying. God loves to hear your prayers, whatever thay sound like.
Gracias Jesús por esta hermosa mañana, los días se hacen más cerca que estoy tengo menos de dos días para encontrar un apartamento con un movimiento de baja en el depósito apliqué con Villas De Mallorca, Amen
Mr. Nielsen, I appreciate your insight on what the Holy Ghost does for us, it was very enlightening and well timed for me personally. God bless and as you continue to share.
Thank you. God bless you too.
Wow Stephen, I really needed this break down of how the Holy Spirit helps us. Excellent job. I’ll be visiting this blog often!
Thanks Christopher. You’re welcome anytime.
Wow i thanx the Lord for you Stephen Nielsen, God bless you
God bless you too. May your prayer be as incense to God–Ps 141:2.
Thanks a bunch forr sharing this with all
off us you actually realize what you’re speakinmg about! Bookmarked.
Kindly also discuss with mmy website =).
We may have a link exchange arrangement beetween us
I think you did an awesome job detailing it in your article.
Sure beats having to research it on my own. Thank you.
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is required
tto get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty
penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100%sure. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
My blog is 100% free. It didn’t cost me anything. All you need to do is look up wordpress blog in google and they will tell you how to set it up. There are also some you tubes on how to set it up. It may take some work on your part but you can do it.
Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Thank you
No suggestions. God bless you.
You’re so awesome! I don’t think I have read anything like
that before. So nice to find somebody with a few original thoughts on this subject matter.
Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that
is required on the internet, someone with
a little originality!
This article gave me a new understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives..I am renewed!
Good to hear. Thanks for commenting. Stop by again.
Wonderful article. We need more people to pray for peace.
Thanks. I agree.
i really love your post Stephen Nielsen it really helps me to understand about the Holy Spirit and his personality. It’s comforting to know that he’s our helper, our friend, our intercessor etc..i really like how you break it down for me to understand it better. Sometimes i get confuse and nervous wondering do i have the holy spirit. But i can now trust and put my faith and confidence in him where i can fully trust him with everything. I thank God for using you to help other Christians understand how the Holy Spirit operate in the their life.
Lamesha,
I’m glad I was able to help you understand the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Stop by my blog anytime.
Thank you for the truth you shared it really Blessed me. May The Lord all ways guide you to help the needy once again Thank you.. You are a blessing Evangeline
Thank you too.
I want 2 say a big tanx u 4 helping me,ur words have help me so much,i do have some other problems,i will like to share with u,but God bless u as ur words touch others life.
So inspiring and uplifting. May God continue to bring His word into you for more of His purposes to be revealed through you in Jesus name
Thanks!
This is the most helpful explanation of Romans 8:26-27 that I’ve seen — thanks, Stephen!
Thanks. It’s been so long since I wrote this that I had to go back and read it again. We all could benefit by constantly reviewing these things.
Excellent post on the Holy Spirit especially He Helps us during those moments we cannot find the right words to express our feelings, emotions, pain, agony. The Holy Spirit Comes through, takes over, COMFORTS, Helps us to continue steadfastly by the Grace of God. He is intervening on our behalf holding the world at bay in Jesus Name. Thank you for following God’s HotSpot at wordpress. Com. God Bless.
Thanks for the enlightenment
Wonderful article! Our desire is that our crafted prayer is truly crafted in God’s will, and we know it to be so.
This is wonderfully written ,backed by scripture.Easy to understand.Your insight is a special gift.
Thank you for writing this and putting it on your blog.
I didn’t know to the extent the Holy Spirit intercedes for us .My understanding is enhanced now.
Most of the info on this prayer blog is from my book Prayer A to Z. Some of them are shortened and adapted for a blog. This one was written a long time ago. As you can see from all the comment, this is a popular article. Thanks for your comment.
Yes, the Holy Spirit is always interceding for us. He helps us pray and takes our prayers to the Father. He also gives us the desire to pray and shows us in our mind what to pray–that is, what the will of God is. And if we can remember when we pray that He is right there helping us pray, prayer becomes so much easier.
Have a good evening.
I’ve always believed this and was looking it up to explain it to my wife. SHE DOES NOT AGREE.
The Spirit ‘interceding’ has always been hard concept for me to understand. But you have gotten me closer. But one point I still struggle with. How is it that the Spirit needs to clarify to GOD the Father what my prayer is? The triune GOD knows me, my heart, my hurt, and everything else about me. I guess my block comes from my belief that the fullness of GOD dwells in me. Yes, I believe in the individual and person-hood of the triune GOD. It’s just wording that trips me up. Thank you for getting me a step closer to clarity
Your sister in Chris – Becca
You have some good points. I’m sure the Father knows our prayer as well as the Spirit does. And so, as you said, it may be in the wording of it. It’s hard to know exactly what is going on or how it exactly works. I think the clarification is more for our sake. The Spirit straightens out our prayers not for God’s sake but for ours. Of course the Father and the Spirit are one and the same. And it could also be that the way I wrote it is not exactly correct.
Reblogged this on Stephen Nielsen.