How Do I Pray With God?

“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

Now I’ve heard people say things like there is a progression to learning how to pray. I don’t think this is linear as in your start with the first and move to the second and so on. I think you may find yourself in any of these four places and you may move and change throughout your walk with Christ. The four aspects of prayer are: 

1. Talking To God.
2. Talking With God.
3. Listening To God.
4. Being With God.

I want to focus on the idea of talking with God. When we pray we have an ally - The Holy Spirit. Some of us have either forgotten about this very important ally or we never knew He helps us in our prayers.

In Romans, Paul says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness by praying through us essentially. Now, I want to make a note of something here, we first have to realize our weakness in prayer. When we come to God in prayer, we must come in a place of weakness. 

The reason I mention this is that I’ve heard many preachers over the years say that we come and declare to God what He is going to do, as if we could ever instruct the Almighty in what He is to do. This is not how we should approach God in prayer. We approach Him in our weakness. All of us are weak. We are human. Paul understood this and he says that when it comes to prayer, we don’t even know what to pray sometimes. How weak is that!

Often we come to prayer with a list and an agenda. I believe effective prayer comes from submitting our list and agenda to God and allowing Him to pray through us. Now, depending on your background, you might think that this verse is referring to praying in tongues. I don’t mean to upset you, but that’s not the context of this verse. This verse is talking about groaning prayers. 

Groaning prayers are prayers without words. Even praying in tongues are too much for these types of prayers. These prayers are wordless. They come from deep down in your spirit as the Holy Spirit releases a groaning travail that cannot be put into any language. 

These types of prayers may come from a couple of different places, in my opinion. Paul here is saying sometimes they come from such a deep place that the person praying does not even know what he is praying for, but the Spirit knows. In other instances, I believe, this could also be describing a prayer that comes from a place of grieving. I’ve seen people who have lost a spouse or parent or child and they can’t put words to their prayers, but the Spirit helps them pray in this way. 

Either way, the point is not whether you use words or not, but who you are praying with. Paul is saying the Holy Spirit prays with you. In other words, God in you, helps you to pray. What a beautiful thought! God himself is helping us to pray to Him. 

This is a powerful way to pray. How could God help you to pray to Him and then not hear you or answer you? The answer is He couldn’t! Not only is He helping you to pray, He is hearing your prayers and responding to them at the same time! I believe amazing things happen when we pray with God and not just to Him! 

The key here is to go into prayer and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. Admit your weakness in not even knowing what God wants us to pray for and your ability to make it happen. Come to him in humility and the Holy Spirit will help you! Sometimes the Spirit will spontaneously bring things to mind and other times you will only be able to let out a groan of agreement. 

Prayer - Lord, I come to you admitting my weakness. I am a weak vessel, but I know that you will fill me with your Spirit if I ask. Please fill me with your Spirit and help me to pray. You alone are able to answer my prayers. Help me to pray with you today. Amen.



Cornerstone Church is a non-denominational church located in Clayton, NC. We are associated with Elim Fellowship in Lima, NY. We welcome you to join us at 11155 US 70 Suite C, Clayton, NC 27520 at 10 am on Sunday mornings.