Better Together (4) – Sharing The Load

If you could improve one area of your life as a Christian, what would it be?

It is hardly a shock to learn that most Christians struggle with their private prayer life. Despite the realisation that prayer is essential for our walk with the Lord, it just seems to be a struggle to follow the examples of great men of prayer like Daniel, Paul, John and, of course, the Lord Jesus.

There may be various reasons – complacency, laziness, self-sufficiency, cold hearts, lack of faith, poor knowledge of the Bible and many more.

But, have you ever had the experience of forcing yourself to your knees in a difficult season of life, willing to pray, knowing that you should pray, yet just kneeling, feeling lost, perplexed and not sure what to pray?

You are not alone. When Paul writes to the Romans he mentions one particular weakness in prayer – “not knowing how to pray as we ought” (Romans 8:26).

In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul wrote about “a thorn in the flesh” (v.7) which God had given him. We don’t know what it was, but we do know that Paul didn’t want it, because three times he implored the Lord to take away this affliction (v.8). But the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (v.9).

This was not the only time that Paul struggled with “what he ought” to pray.  In Philippians 1:22-24, he couldn’t decide whether to pray that the Lord would take him to heaven from his prison cell or pray that He would preserve his life for further ministry.

Paul was not alone.

Moses pleaded with the Lord to let him enter the Promised Land.

“Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying: ‘O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon’” (Deuteronomy 3:23-24).

Moses was rebuked by the Lord for making that prayer:

“But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter’” (Deuteronomy 3:26).

Elijah, another man of prayer, asked the Lord to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). It is remarkable that even the greatest examples of men of prayer in the Bible struggled with praying in accordance with God’s will from time to time.

Clearly, you are not alone in your struggles. So, don’t give up. Help is at hand.

“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” (Romans 8:26).

So we have arrived at our preposition “sun”, which is part of the Greek New Testament word “sunantilambanomai”, translated as “helps”. This word means “joint help”. It is the assistance given by one person to another so that they share the load and carry it together.

The word occurs only here and in one other place in the New Testament.

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me’” (Luke 10:40).

Martha wanted her sister to help her to bear the burden of preparing and serving the meal.

Paul is teaching that when we do not know what to “pray for as we ought”, the Holy Spirit is able to help share that load. He does not render us redundant; He works alongside us as we pray.

What a thought! Father, Son and Holy Spirit all actively engaged with us as we pray. The Father listens as the Son intercedes as our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14) and our Advocate (1 John 2:1), while the Spirit helps when we do not know what to “pray for as we ought” – and we think that we are alone when we pray! We are never less alone than when we are on our knees before God. We are to keep praying and, if appropriate, keep working or obeying. But as we pray, the Spirit helps us by interceding for us in our weakness.

How does the Holy Spirit help?

“the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”.

This is the only reference to such a thing in the Bible. This intercession is described in a helpful note provided by John MacArthur –

“Divine articulations within the Trinity that cannot be expressed in words, but carry profound appeals for the welfare of every believer. [1]

Paul is using language to convey to us the idea that the Holy Spirit engages with our needs at the deepest emotional level. He conveys all our unarticulated and even unformed thoughts and words to the Father’s throne, all in line with the will of God. This should encourage us to pour out our hearts before Him.

There is a mystery here that we cannot fully understand.

Samson’s parents rightly exhorted him not to marry a Philistine woman. But they did not know that God wanted to use Samson’s wrong desires to bring judgement on the Philistines (Judges 14:1-4).

Jeremiah was right to pray that God would spare His people from the Babylonians for His name’s sake. But God’s sovereign will in that situation was to judge them (Jeremiah 14:19-15:2).

Satan demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat by tempting him to deny Christ. The Lord Jesus did not pray that Peter would not sin, but rather that his faith would not totally fail and that, after he was restored, he would strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:31-32).

Paul is erecting a sign over the inexplicable mysteries of life, a sign that reads, “Quiet! God at work.”

Let us take heart from the knowledge that when we struggle on our knees with our perplexities and our confusions, there is no confusion within the Godhead as the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and Divine communication takes place between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When we do not know what to “pray for as we ought”, we must pray on and leave the Spirit to do His work in His own miraculous way. Don’t stop praying!