The Interpreter

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. ²³ And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

²⁶ 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. ²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; ³⁰ and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Rom. 8:18-30).

(I needed the whole passage for context.)

We all know this section. It's often a favorite among Christians. There's that wonderful part about "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God." It's even more wonderful to people who are willing to put a period (in principle) behind "good" and not limit God's goodness to "those who love God." Calvinists love this passage because of the unbroken chain from "predestined" to "glorified" with nothing in the middle about "what I do". One of the popular ideas from this passage is the notion of a "prayer language" in which the Spirit helps us to pray when we don't know how.

That's the one. Funny thing is ... I don't see it. Paul doesn't say, "When we don't know how to pray as we should." Paul says, "We do not know how to pray as we should." There doesn't appear to be any occasion to the statement. It doesn't appear to be "sometimes". Paul seems to say that we never really know how to pray as we ought to pray. According to this passage, all of our prayer is filtered through the Holy Spirit who operates on our behalf in a language too deep for words. It appears that, just as creation suffers from the Curse, we suffer from an inherent weakness -- the inability to know how to pray.

Imagine, then, how delightful, how marvelous it is to have the Holy Spirit as our eternal interpreter. We pray -- wrong -- and He intercedes perfectly. He knows what is on the mind of God and connects what we are praying with God's thinking. I picture it something like this. "Father, I know he asked for this, but what he really meant was that." Of course, that's way too simplified, since it's "too deep for words", but the idea that the Spirit is always interceding my behalf makes my prayers so much more effective even when I don't think a single one is heard or answered. I like that.