In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (NIV)

A few summers ago, when he was maybe 6 or 7 years old, my youngest son declared that he would NEVER learn how to ride a bike, specifically a bike without training wheels. We all kind of laughed it off because his siblings had all learned how to ride a regular bike. While at a slight disadvantage, considering the very short Alaskan bike riding season, we were all confident that at some point he would be brave enough and persistent enough to learn.  

‍

Spoiler alert, he can now ride a bike. Today, I asked him if he remembered why he had made that declaration against bike riding. He said something like, when he had asked people how long it had taken them and they said a week, it just felt like it was going to take way longer for him. I think there was also some fear of falling mixed in there and a lack of confidence in his abilities.  

‍

When I was studying today’s verses about the Spirit interceding for us, I was imagining a parent holding on to the bike of a rider-in-training. The kiddo might feel like he is completely incapable of riding the bike and terrified, but the adult is maintaining that equilibrium that the child has not yet mastered and protecting the learner from crashing (for the most part) before he can figure out how to manage the bike on his own. Joshua even told me he didn’t completely trust that his sister, the one who ultimately taught him, was there; he had to keep looking back to confirm her presence.

‍

Of course, in this analogy, we are the child on the bike and the Spirit is guiding us, steering us along on the path God wants us to follow. We are unsure and often afraid, but there is a steady help in times of distress, holding us up, managing our fears, reassuring us, and helping us get back to riding when we inevitably fall. We are promised that the Spirit helps us through all of life’s circumstances, not because we are worthy or qualified, but because we are dependent on Him.

In Chapter 8 of Romans, we have been exploring Paul’s teachings about what it means to live by the Spirit. The Spirit is part of the triune (three-in-one) God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is challenging for our brains to understand, as John Piper describes, that “God the Father hears the prayers of God the Spirit on the basis of the finished work of God the Son.” But Piper also concludes an idea that is important to understand in this mystery: that “God’s trinitarian reality is helping us.” Pastor Britt said a few weeks ago in her sermon that the disciples didn’t want Jesus to leave them, but then Jesus assured them that they needed the person of God to live IN them, the Advocate, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit that would come after He left. We must acknowledge our weakness, our lack of the “right” words, and ask the Spirit for help as we make decisions, wait patiently, discern our next step, or endure suffering.  

‍

In his teaching on these verses, Piper encouraged his readers that “even when we don’t know what we would like to know, and can’t pray with more specificity and assurance of God’s will, we must not lose heart, but trust that God has His purposes in this and has provided for us in our weakness.”  

‍

Spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to give you words to pray about an issue that is causing you stress, that keeps your heart and mind from being at peace. Trust God to provide for you in your weakness, like that steady hand holding the back of your bike as you bravely learn how to ride.

Patient and loving Father, sometimes I feel stuck and alone, particularly in the midst of suffering. I can’t hear your voice, I struggle to cling to your promises, and I don’t know how I should pray. But these verses remind me of your intimate knowledge of who I am, and so I praise you today that you search my heart and that the Spirit helps me in my weakness to communicate with you according to your will. Help me to surrender to you and lean into your loving presence as I navigate the challenges of life, knowing you direct and guide me in accordance with your plans and purposes. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.