Help in our Weakness

[Read Romans 8:26-30]

As I thought about Palm Sunday this week, I was struck by a stark contrast between our celebration today and the celebration two-thousand years ago. Of course, there’s a contrast in the grandeur of the event, but that’s not what I’m talking about. There’s an even deeper contrast. 

It’s important to get the picture in our minds. We have Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, surrounded by his disciples. As he approaches Jerusalem his disciples begin to rejoice and praise God for the amazing works Jesus has done. Then, crowds begin to gather around them on the road. They begin to lay cloaks down on the ground in front of Jesus, and Palm Branches. The crowds join Jesus and the disciples on the road, shouting and praising Jesus all the way into Jerusalem. Repeatedly crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9, ESV). The closer they get to the city, the larger the crown becomes and the louder the shouts and cries. It creates enough of a commotion that Matthew writes, “And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”” (Matthew 21:10, ESV).  We look at this event and see it as glorious and beautiful, don’t we? That’s why we celebrate it every year in conjunction with Easter. 

But here’s the contrast that jumped out at me this week. The large crowds involved in this beautiful and glorious celebration were dead wrong. The words coming out of their mouths were right, but what they wanted was dead wrong. 

Let me explain. This type of celebration was actually common in those days. When a king entered a city, this is exactly how they welcomed him. They met him outside the city and traveled with him into the city with shouting and praising and palm branches. It’s like the ancient version of our presidential motorcade. All of this is showing us that the people saw Jesus as a king—and so do we—however, they saw him as a different kind of king. 

I’ve mentioned this before but it’s an important reminder every Palm Sunday. Hosanna is a Hebrew phrase from the Psalms. We actually talked about it during Advent when we went through Psalm 118. In Hebrew, Hosanna means “Save us, we pray.” This is what the crowds were shouting to the man they saw as king. Save us, King Jesus. Save, we pray. 

They were shouting prayers of salvation to King Jesus, but what did they mean with these prayers? They wanted salvation from Rome. They wanted salvation from illness and sickness. They wanted more miracles. So they repeatedly shouted out prayers of salvation to King Jesus because they thought that’s what they needed, they thought that’s what was best for them, they didn’t actually know what they should be praying for. 

Our passage this morning reminds us of the same thing. It says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought…” (Romans 8:26, ESV). Just like the crowds from two thousand years ago, we don’t know what to pray for as we ought. Of course, we think we know what we need. Of course, we think we know what’s best. But the reality is, we don’t actually know what’s best for us or what we need. We don’t actually know what to pray for. 

Sometimes we are praying for the wrong things. James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly…” (James 4:3, ESV). That’s a powerful reminder for us that we can ask for the wrong things because we don’t actually know what’s best for us and what to pray for. I’ve known people over the years who have prayed and prayed and prayed that they wouldn’t lose their job—but, was that job what’s best for them? Is that what they should have been praying for? What if they needed to lose that job in order for something else to happen? We don’t always know what to pray for. 

Sometimes we are praying for the right things but the wrong timing. We want something and we want it now. We don’t want to wait for it. But, maybe waiting for it will give us an additional blessing.  Martin Luther gives the example of St. Augustine and his mother. St. Augustine wasn’t always a saint, he was actually pretty messed up for a long time. And his mother prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed for him throughout his childhood and his young adult years. She prayed that he would turn from his sinful life and follow Jesus. Yet, God waited and waited and waited and waited to answer her prayers “in order to grant her much more in the end than she had asked.” (Luther, 127). We don’t always know the right timing to pray for. 

That’s why the next part of this passage is so powerful. It says, “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, ESV). Since we don’t know what to pray for, nor the timing of our prayers, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We’re not left alone to our own misguided thoughts and desires. The Spirit is right there with us as we pray, helping us to pray as we ought. That teaches us a couple lessons. 

First, just because we don’t know what to pray for—or how to pray as we ought—doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray. That would be a complete misunderstanding of this passage. I suppose there is a temptation to say, “Well, since I don’t really know what to ask for, then I might as well not ask.” No way. This passage is actually telling you the opposite. It’s saying: Of course you don’t know what to pray for, thankfully the Spirit is helping you in your prayers. So, keep on praying. Of course you don’t know the timing of your prayers. Thankfully the Spirit is helping you in your prayers, so keep on praying. Our weaknesses should never hinder us from coming to God in prayer. You don’t know what to say or what to pray or how to talk to God or what to ask of God or…Doesn’t matter. The Spirit is there helping you in your prayers. So, start praying and keep on praying. 

Second, there’s a beautiful picture here of the Spirit’s groaning. Last week we talked about how creation is groaning under the weight of sin, and how we are groaning and suffering under the weight of sin. This week, we’re told that the Spirit is helping us in our suffering and groaning, by groaning right along with us. Calvin actually says the picture in this passage is the Holy Spirit coming alongside you and putting his shoulder under the burden as well, helping you to carry your burden. That’s amazingly beautiful. You aren’t having to carry these burdens on your own, the Spirit is there with you lifting the load off your back—off your soul—and directing your eyes to God in prayer.

Then, the Spirit helps us in another way. We read, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27, ESV). So, the Spirit is praying for us according to the will of God, and the will of God will be accomplished. So, the Spirit takes our weak and ignorant prayers, and makes them good and in line with the will of God. 

I think Palm Sunday is a beautiful example of this. Remember how I said the crowds were dead wrong in their prayers? Well, that was kinda true. I think the Spirit was shaping their prayers according to the will of God. So, they cried out: save us, save us, save us, we pray. The Spirit took those prayers, conformed them to the will of God, and their prayers for salvation were answered—granted, in a different way than they expected. It’s powerful to understand that the Spirit can even work through the flawed and weak prayers of God’s people. 

I think we often have a similar problem to the crowds on Palm Sunday. We repeatedly cry for salvation, but often that salvation is pointed solely to our physical reality. We don’t often look beyond that. 

But notice this connection. This passage tells us that the Spirit prays for us according to the will of God, right? Connect that to another passage from 1 Thessalonians which says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV). That’s the will of God for you, your sanctification. As I always remind us, sanctification is just a big word for becoming holy or becoming like Jesus. That’s God’s will for your life, that you would slowly become more and more holy—more and more like Jesus Christ. And that’s what the Spirit is praying for you—that you would become more like Jesus, that you would be sanctified. 

This should shape our prayers in a powerful way. I’m not saying we should never ask to be delivered from physical trials or difficulties. Please don’t misunderstand me. During my time in the hospital, I repeatedly prayed that God would deliver me from my physical trials. Here’s what I’m saying: We should pray for more than deliverance from our physical trials. In the midst of those trials we should be constantly asking God to use those trials to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ, that he would empower us to be more like Christ in the trial, and that we would submit ourselves to God in this trial like Jesus Christ. That’s part of what it looks like to pray for sanctification—which is God’s will for us. 

And that moves us directly into the next verse in this passage—a verse that is very well known, but not fully understood. We read this, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV). This verse is well-known for a reason. It’s a beautiful truth that helps us in very difficult times. In those times when things don’t make sense, and things are tough, and we’re groaning, we can have confidence that God is working these things together for our good. But there are a couple caveats to this promise. 

First, this promise has conditions. It is only applicable to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. That means this promise is only for Christians. That’s what the passage says. Christians can have a hope that all things are working together for our good. Those who are not Christians don’t have that hope. 

Second, we really need to understand what this passage means when it uses the word “good.” What does it mean that all things are working together for our good? Does that mean we should consider everything that happens to us “good”? No, that’s not what it’s saying. Does that mean if we lose our job, God will use that to get us a job that pays better? No, it’s not saying that either. The “good” that is being talked about is our sanctification—our becoming holy, more like Jesus. That’s the good that everything is working together for because that’s the will of God for your life. Therefore, every aspect of your life is working together for that goal. Every event in your life is designed to shape you to become more like Jesus. Every trial in your life is designed to shape you to become more like Jesus. They are all working together for that one purpose—and that’s really good. 

That’s why the very next verse says this, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:29, ESV). Now, I realize there’s a lot to be talked about in this passage and the next about election and predestination, but I’m not going to dive into that this morning. I simply want you to understand what this passage is saying and how it’s connected to the verse before it.

This passage tells us that God has done two things for Christians. He foreknew us and predestined us. To foreknow is to know beforehand and predestine is to destine beforehand—which is pretty self-explanatory. But, to know before what? To destine before what? We’re told elsewhere in the Bible, God knew us and predestined us before he created the earth. It was all part of his plan. And what was part of the plan for those whom he foreknew? He predestined—guaranteed—that they would be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ—that they would become like Jesus. That was always the goal. The goal of salvation was never just forgiveness of sins. That was just the beginning. The goal—from before the earth was created—was that God would shape a people to become like his Son, Jesus Christ. And for Christians, he has shaped every event in your life and every trial in your life and every prayer you’ve ever prayed in your life to accomplish this goal—that you would become more like Jesus. 

And here’s the beautiful promise connected with that truth: It will happen. That’s why we read this, “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30, ESV). Notice the way this is written. It doesn’t say, “Those whom he predestined, he will call.” It says, “he called…he justified…he glorified.” These things were decided before the world was created—set in stone as if they already happened. You can have complete confidence that if God foreknew you and predestined you before the foundation of the earth, you are already considered glorified and will certainly receive the fullness of that glory that we talked about last week. It’s certain. There’s no break in the chain. There’s nobody and no thing that will ever cause God not to accomplish his will—and his will is that Christians will become like Jesus. And God will use every, single part of our life to accomplish that goal. 

So, as we leave this morning with the Palm Branches in our hands, reminded of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, with the praises of King Jesus on our lips, crying out our prayers of “Save us, we pray. Save us, King Jesus.” Let us desire a salvation that goes deeper than our physical needs. Let us desire a salvation that can only come through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—a salvation that shapes and molds us into the image of Jesus Christ. As we enter into trials and difficulties, let us remember that God is using these moments in our lives to shape us into the image of Jesus Christ. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit will help carry our burden and will shape our prayers. Then, let us pray. Let us pray for more than just deliverance from our physical trials. Let us pray that God would use this trial to mold us and shape us into the image of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that God would empower us to endure this trial like Jesus Christ. Let us pray like Jesus in the garden: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39, ESV).