We serve the God who provides. It would be tempting to say the Lord will provide your every need and leave it there. The problem is that we need specific promises to hold onto when we are struggling! In our study, we will see over 30 promises from the God who provides! The first is that Jesus and the Holy Spirit provide help with prayer. That’s right; God provides help with prayer!
Jesus and The Holy Spirit Help Us Pray
No matter what we are facing, prayer is the way we communicate those needs to God the Father. It is comforting to know that He knows we struggle to pray. We struggle to pray well, to pray consistently, to pray according to His will… Prayer is a struggle for most believers.
It is an amazing gift of God’s love for us then, that He provides help in our prayer life. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus helps us pray and intercedes for us and the Holy Spirit helps us pray and intercedes for us. God provides help with prayer!
This is part of a series of 30 Ways God Provides For You Faithfully – keep up with it here*!
Prayer: The Front Lines of Spiritual Warfare
Why is prayer so important to the Lord?
You are God’s child which makes you a direct target in the Devil’s rebellious war against the Lord. The enemy of God targets us, His children. The moment you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the enemy began plotting against you in order to get to the Lord.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NASB)
That’s right, there is a real battle raging all around us in the heavens. We can’t see it (praise the Lord or we would be terrified all the time), but it rages nonetheless.
Prayer is one way we engage in the battle. No wonder the Lord wants to help us pray powerfully!
God Provides Help With Prayer Through Jesus and The Holy Spirit. Learn how here! Share on XPrayer Is A Piece of the Spiritual Armor of God
We often think of these as the armor of God:
- Belt of truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Shoes of the gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit
These are the weapons and armor listed in Ephesians 6:10-17, but when we stop there we stop mid-thought. Paul keeps going in verse eighteen.
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel…” (Ephesians 6:18-19 NASB)
Do you see it there? Prayer is the 7th piece of the armor of God. Not just prayer, but praying in the Spirit, with the Holy Spirit’s help.
We engage in the Spiritual battle through prayer!
Related Post: 90+ Scripture About Provision to Grow Your Faith
Prayer Protects Us In The Battle
Not only does prayer help us engage in the battle, but prayer helps protect us throughout the battle. Remember, we can’t see the battle or the enemy. That means we need to be in constant communication with the Lord.
“…pray without ceasing…” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB)
If we ever wondered why He tells us to pray about everything, all the time, this may help clear things up. We need to talk to Him to know how to live life in the midst of constant attack.
Prayer protects us by keeping us connected to the Father.
How does God provide help with prayer?
- Jesus help us pray.
- He intercedes for us.
- He relates to us and covers us.
- The Holy Spirit helps us pray.
- He prays for us.
- He also allows us to pray through Him somehow.
1. Bible Verses About Jesus Praying For Us
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5 NASB)
Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father and we are told that He mediates for us. A mediator is someone who works between two people in conflict.
We are sinners and God is holy. The enemy accuses us before the Father continually reminding God of our sin and the conflict that creates between us and Him.
Jesus goes between… representing us to the Father, reminding HIM of the blood Jesus shed on the cross which paid the price for our sins. He mediates the conflict by covering us so that when the Father sees us, He sees the Son.
Without Jesus, our Mediator, we could not approach the Lord in prayer.
Jesus Intercedes For Us/ Mediates For Us
“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:33-34 NASB)
Romans 8:33 takes the thought of Jesus as the Great Mediator a step further. Paul reminds us that though the enemy brings charges against us before God, Jesus holds the trump card.
Isn’t it encouraging that The Lord didn’t just say it once (that Jesus is our Mediator) and leave it there? He repeats Himself, adding emphasis to the declaration!
Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, who paid the price for our sins IN FULL, sits at God’s right hand. Christ Jesus, our Great Mediator, sits reminding the Father that we are HIS and we are FORGIVEN!
He goes on to say:
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? … For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” (Romans 8:38-39 NASB)
Jesus Saves Us
Jesus makes us right with the Lord by standing between us, mediating, and interceding for us. The author of Hebrews repeats this truth and adds a criteria.
“Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:15 NASB)
We must draw near to God through Jesus. This is a posture of humility. When we draw near through Jesus we remember that we are sinners and He is the only way to God.
God provides help in prayer in this way, keeping us humble as we draw near to Him. Jesus saves us and keeps us safe and loved.
Jesus Forgives Our Sins
God helps us pray! It is something that proves His love and proves His commitment to this relationship. We didn’t pursue Him, He pursued and continues to pursue us.
We are selfish sinners who can’t stay faithful to the Lord. Praise His Name that Jesus intercedes for us as our Mediator and as our Advocate with the Father!
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1 NASB)
We sin. We fall short of the holy standard God set. Jesus forgives our sins as we draw near to God. Jesus advocates for God’s love and forgiveness. We could not stay in this relationship without Jesus advocating with the Father on our behalf!
What Does Jesus Pray for Us?
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word…” (John 17:20 NASB)
We know Jesus Mediates, Advocates, and Intercedes for us. What does He ask the Father on our behalf? We see a glimpse into that when Jesus prays in the Upper Room in John 17. This is an excerpt from “Does Jesus Pray For Us” by Got Questions.
- Know God and His Son, Jesus Christ (verse 3).
- To Be:
- Protected from apostasy (verse 11).
- One in spirit as the Father and Son are one (verse 11).
- Filled with His joy (verse 13).
- Kept from the evil one (verse 15).
- Sanctified through God’s Word (verse 17).
- To Remain unified in Christ throughout the generations (verses 20–21).
- Let our love convey Christ’s message to the world (verse 23).
- Join Him in heaven for all eternity (verse 24).
- Experience the same kind of love for each other that the Father and Son share (verse 26).
Jesus prayed all that for us before we were even born. Imagine what He is praying over you today!
2. Bible Verses About The Holy Spirit Helping Us Pray
Not only does the Bible clearly teach that God helps us pray through Jesus as our Mediator, Advocate, and Intercessor, but there is more help. The Holy Spirit helps us pray.
I grew up being taught that the work of the Holy Spirit was finished when the New Testament was completed. My whole life, the Holy Spirit has been this scary, mysterious being of whom I knew very little.
That all changed a few years ago, however, when I read through the book of Acts. This wasn’t my first time reading the book of Acts, but it was the first time I noticed how often the New Testament Church fully relied on the help of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly I longed to know more about Him.
It has been a challenging journey, but prayer is one of my favorite ways the Holy Spirit interacts with us!
The Holy Spirit Helps Our Weakness
“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; 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. 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.” (Romans 8:26-28 NASB)
We don’t know how to pray as we should. Did you see that?
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in ways we could never understand. He can pray for us because He knows God’s will.
We can trust the heart of God and the heart of the Holy Spirit to pray for us when we just don’t have any idea what to pray or how to pray over a situation.
When life is hard and you are struggling, talk to the Holy Spirit about it. Ask Him to help you pray.
The Holy Spirit Reminds You of God’s Words
Not only does the Holy Spirit help us pray when we are weak, but also helps us remember.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26 NASB)
The Holy Spirit operates in God’s name. He helps us pray and He helps us remember what God has said.
Are you like this? At times I am praying over a hard situation and I am railing at the Lord. Anger. Disappointed. Brokenhearted. I am feeling all the things and telling Him about it all. Then, without prompting I am reminded of something in His Word and my prayers shift. That is the Holy Spirit.
Recently I was praying about our family and I could hear the fear coming through to the Lord. All of a sudden I was reminded of Exodus 14:14 where God says do not be afraid because He will fight the battle. That was the Holy Spirit reminding me of what God has already said about the situation I was praying into.
The Holy Spirit Guides Us
In the same way, the Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s Words, He also guides us into His truth.
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13 NASB)
The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead which means He is fully aware of God’s will and plan for your life. When we draw near to the Lord and stay connected in prayer through Jesus to the Holy Spirit, we have access to His perfect guidance.
Hmm… that felt very religious. Let me break that thought apart.
God helps us pray when we draw near to Him. We draw near to Him by praying, by worshiping, and by staying consistently in the Bible.
Jesus intercedes for us, praying for us, mediating for us, and advocating for us when we fall short (which is often). Jesus also left us the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us through life.
The Holy Spirit reminds us for God’s Words and points us back to Jesus.
When we stay connected to the Lord, through prayer, praise, and persistence in the Word, the Holy Spirit is able to guide our steps in life. We can hear His voice and have peace about each choice we make.
Make sense?
God provides help for prayer through the Holy Spirit who guides us for HIM.
Praying In The Spirit
As we broach this topic, know that I still have more questions than answers about the idea of praying in The Spirit. What I know for sure is that the Bible mentions praying in the Spirit more than once which makes it important. So let’s approach it with humility and curiosity.
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:18 NASB)
Earlier we saw that prayer is a piece of the Armor of God. Notice that Paul doesn’t just say to pray, He says to pray in the Spirit. What does he mean?
What is Praying in The Spirit?
The Spirit is part of God which means He knows God’s will and God’s plan. It is wise to invite the Spirit into the conversation when we need to know God’s will.
We are weak and don’t know what to pray while the Holy Spirit does know what to pray. He is strong in prayer and can reach the Father in ways we can not. Romans told us the Holy Spirit prays with groaning… not words.
Praying in the Spirit is inviting the Holy Spirit into the conversation. Do you talk to the Holy Spirit when you pray?
Praying in the Spirit goes deeper than words and includes groaning. Some believe this is a variation of the gift of speaking in tongues. What do you believe about the gifts of the Spirit?
Where publicly speaking in tongues requires an interpreter, praying in tongues would not. This is something of a mystery to remain curious about.
Praying in the Holy Spirit Builds Your Faith
There are many verses that speak about praying in the Holy Spirit but this one in Jude is interesting.
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit…” (Jude 1:20 NASB)
Praying in the Holy Spirit builds up our faith. Interesting. I want stronger faith. Don’t you?
What I believe I understand about praying in the Spirit is confusing but beautiful. You can ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you as you sit with Him. At times you can allow Him to speak through you which sounds like groaning and gibberish like the gift of tongues.
In my experience, you leave that prayer time sensing His presence though you have no idea what He said… Other times, He gives you clarity during or after the prayer and a new direction to pray. Confusing. Beautiful. Definitely faith-building!
God provides help with prayer through the power of the
God Provides Help With Prayer to Build Our Faith
Overall we see that God provides for our every need. Of course, He knew from the beginning that praying would matter greatly and we would struggle with that.
God provides help with prayer through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus
- Mediates for us.
- Advocates for us.
- Intercedes for us.
- We only need to draw near to Him through prayer, praise, and persistence in the Word!
- The Holy Spirit
- Helps in our weakness.
- Reminds us of God’s Words.
- Guides us.
- Prays for us.
- Prays through us.
- We only need to allow Him access to every part and humbly invite Him to move.
When we draw near to the Lord in humility, he helps us pray which grows our faith!
What can you do today to draw near to the Lord?
How can you be sure you approach Him humbly?
Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct you in prayer?
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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