Mensa Otabil - The Holy Spirit Helps Us
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God is committed to helping us as His children, and whenever we need help, we can trust Him to come to our aid. Romans chapter 8, verse 26 states: «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.»
This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday, the time when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus and gave them power to be witnesses unto the Lord. For days, they had been praying and waiting for this moment, and the Holy Spirit came and empowered them. The Holy Spirit is also called our Helper. Jesus referred to Him as the Helper, and the word He used denotes one who stands with you against something, one who stands together with a believer. A helper is one who stands by your side. That is what the Holy Spirit is; He stands with us, He stands around us, and He is with us at all times.
The passage here says He stands with us in our weaknesses, so when we are weak, there is a Helper around us, and He’s called the Holy Spirit. He helps us. God has not left us alone to struggle on our own and try to fix our problems and our weaknesses. When we are weak, there is strength for us, and that strength is from the Holy Spirit. The good thing about the Holy Spirit is that He never takes a vacation; He never leaves and comes later. He doesn’t take a night off or a week off; He is always with us. Jesus says He will be with you always, to the end of the age.
So you have to be assured that at every point and in every situation in your life as a child of God, the Holy Spirit is present, and He is present to help. He helps us particularly in our prayer life. When we look at the passages, since we don’t know what we should pray for as we ought, many times in life, we are not really sure what we should pray for. We know what we want, but we don’t know how to pray for it, and sometimes we don’t even know what we want. In those times of uncertainty, when we feel our prayers are inadequate or not powerful enough, and we don’t know the right way to express ourselves, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid. He empowers us and gives us the ability to express our innermost desires in the most appropriate way.
The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. Therefore, as we think of God’s help, don’t only envision Him holding you from behind and holding your hand; also think of Him as the one who helps you to pray, who encourages you and gives you the ability to say the right things that align with God’s will. May God give you help in your prayer life. May He strengthen you in prayer, and may the Holy Spirit overshadow and empower you to do signs and wonders to the glory of God. In Jesus' name, I am Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.