Romans 8 (Pt 5)

Romans 8:23-25 (ESV)

[23] And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. [24] For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? [25] But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Even as we have victory in Christ, we recognize that things are not as they should be. We have received the adoption as sons (Rom. 8:15), and yet “we wait eagerly for adoption as sons” (Rom. 8:22). There will be a day when all will be set right. In the meantime we walk by faith looking with expectation for that day. The implications of that expectation or hope is that we wait patiently (Rom. 8:25), and we rest in the reality that we have not been left alone to wait.

The very next verse, Romans 8:26, goes on to assure us that in the wait, “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.” Notice four observations based on Romans 8:25-26.

First, we don’t know what to pray. The text does not say that when we don’t know how to pray the Spirit helps us. It says, “We do not know what to pray for as we ought.” The New American Standard Bible says, “We do not know how to pray,” but the word “how” means “what.” It is not that we do not know the manner in which to pray. God is not concerned with whether we pray kneeling, standing, lying on our face, or in some other posture. There is no correct posture for prayer. What we are more concerned about is what we should be praying. Not knowing clearly the will of God, we do not know what to prayer.

That leads us to the second observation. The Spirit intercedes for us. He prays with groanings too deep for words. The only other place in the Bible where that Greek word translated groanings is used is in Acts 7:34. It says that God heard the groanings of his people in Egypt. The Spirit lifts intercessions to the Father in words and ways that are beyond us. This lifts from us the burden to make sure that our prayers are right and our requests correct. The Spirit knows and intercedes.

Third, the Spirit prays according to the will of God. The Father knows our heart and the Spirit intercedes “according to the will of God.” We do not need to worry that we may have asked for the wrong thing. We do not need to be concerned about praying the right prayer. The Father knows our heart, and the Spirit knows the heart of the Father. He intercedes according to the will of God.

That brings us to the fourth observation. It is the intercession of the Holy Spirit on our behalf according to the will of God that assures us that all things work together for good. The intercession of the Spirit leads to the promise that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. The intercession of the Spirit and the purpose of God in our lives cannot be separated.

God has predestined believers “to be conformed to the image of his son.” Our identity in Christ, the sufferings of this present time, and the intercession of the Spirit are working together to develop the image of the Son in each believer. We are in the process of becoming like Christ. Trust the process. Rest in the Spirit’s intercession. Rest in the indwelling power of the Spirit in your life. Trust him when things get hard. It is all part of the process designed to develop in us the likeness of Christ.

There will be a day when all will be set right. In the meantime we walk by faith looking with expectation for that day. The implications of that expectation or hope is that we wait patiently (Rom. 8:25), and we rest in the reality that we have not been left alone to wait.