Let the Holy Spirit Intercede for Us
By Michelle lazurek
“Likewise, 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.” Romans 8:26
One morning, I woke up with what felt like a dull stomachache. I took some medicine and went about my day. That evening, when I went to church, a congregation member told me I looked pale. She was concerned for me and asked if I was feeling OK. I still had the dull ache, but told her everything was fine. However, that evening, things took a turn for the worse.
The dull ache soon became a sharp shooting pain in my bladder and started to spread to the back of my kidneys. As I lay in bed, I realized I couldn't even lie in bed anymore. I got up, but I couldn't sit down. I paced around my home, nervous about what was happening. I drove myself to the emergency room to find I had a bladder infection. The infection was so extreme that it took over two weeks to heal. However, the doctor prescribed medication for the kidneys and the bladder to help counteract the pain.
One of the main side effects of both medications is dizziness. Because one medicine I needed to take every four hours and another every eight, there was a time of day when those two times would overlap. I took both pills at the same time and was in for the surprise of my life. I was so dizzy I could barely get out of bed. Vomiting profusely, in intense pain, and so dizzy, I begged the Lord for help. My husband checked in on me often. I could tell by the look on his face that he was very concerned. I had never been so sick in my life, and he had never seen me so ill. He felt my head and whispered in my ear, “I'm praying for you.”
Although I wish the pain had subsided much earlier than it did, the pain did eventually subside, and I got better. But in those moments when I was completely wracked with debilitating pain and dizziness, I could do nothing. I could barely even pray because I could not concentrate. All I could do was close my eyes and listen to my breathing to keep myself calm.
It is during times of intense trial, health crises, or financial situations that the Holy Spirit must intercede on our behalf. Sometimes we are so overcome by our circumstances that we don't even know how to pray or what to pray for. However, the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us understands what we need. He intercedes in prayer for us to the heavenly father with groanings that only God can hear. I believe in those moments of complete weakness, the Holy Spirit had to intercede on my behalf.
In marriages, situations can become dire. Some couples go through such difficult trials, one after the other, that it becomes impossible to pray. Sometimes they don't even know what to pray. But the Holy Spirit, who advocates for us and who knows everything we are going through, intercedes for us with groanings. These utterances replace the words we cannot say on our own. When we feel as though our spouses are not on our side, we can take solace in knowing that the Holy Spirit is advocating for us. He knows every situation, including our marriage, and will intercede for us on our behalf.
God knows everything we're feeling and thinking. In his omniscience, he knows what we need. The Holy Spirit only needs to groan, and God knows how to respond. We can be grateful that we have a Holy Spirit who not only knows our every thought, deed, and action, but is also willing to speak to the Father for us when we don't have the words to do so ourselves.
Father, thank you that we have the Holy Spirit to advocate for us. Help us take solace in knowing that in the moments when we don't know what to pray, the Holy Spirit will pray on our behalf. God even understands the deep groanings that sound like foolishness to our ears, but to God discerns what we need. Help us to know when we are at our weakest. All we can do is cry out to the Holy Spirit, who knows exactly what we need when we need it. Amen.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
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Originally published Friday, 03 July 2026.
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