We read from the Holy Scriptures this evening from the Epistle to the Romans, a portion of chapter eight. The beautiful eighth chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans. We'll read the first 28 verses of this chapter. And our text in this evening is found in verses 26 and 27. We hear the word of God in Romans chapter eight. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if through the spirit ye do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first roots of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Thus far, we read from God's holy word. As I said, our text this evening is found here in Romans 8, verses 26 and 27. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Beloved congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ. No more than the disciples could understand the meaning and significance of the cross and resurrection of Christ until the Spirit had come. No more could we understand the significance of it all except for the revelation. enlightenment of that same spirit. There is no wisdom in the cross. There is no comfort in the resurrection and ascension of Christ except for Pentecost. The natural man who has not that spirit calls the cross foolishness and denies the reality of the resurrection. He has not eyes to see the realities of the kingdom of heaven. It is only through the Spirit that we understand the wonder work of our Lord Jesus Christ in salvation, and that we can enjoy the blessings thereof. It is the Spirit that applies these blessings unto us, giving us new life, we who are by nature dead in trespasses and sins. The Spirit enlightens, the Spirit calls, The Spirit cleanses, the Spirit sustains and strengthens us. And beloved also, the Spirit prays for us. It is to this wonderful work of the Spirit of Christ that Our text directs our attention that the Spirit prays for us. The purpose of the Apostle Paul in this passage is undoubtedly to comfort the Roman Christians and God's people today, too, in regard to the sufferings of this present time. That's clear from what the Apostle has said in verse 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. all the sufferings which the Roman Christians had to endure and which the people of God down through the ages have to endure also today. All that suffering loses its terror and gloom as soon as the eye of faith is fixed upon that unspeakably great glory that awaits us in the day of our Lord. To emphasize this truth, the apostle points to a threefold groan as an evidence of the certainty as well as of the greatness of that glory which as believers in Christ Jesus we may expect. There was the groan of the creature of all creation, first of all, that was subject to the curse of God because of the fall into sin of our first parents. The creation is in bondage of corruption and longs to be delivered from that bondage. In the second place, there is the groan of the children of God themselves, as in the midst of the sufferings of this present time, they long and hope and wait patiently for the glory that shall be revealed in them. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit, and we groan within ourselves in the expectation of that final adoption, the redemption of our body. Oh yes, by God's grace, through the Irresistible, efficacious operation of the Spirit. We are even now children of God who have a new life and who share in all the blessings of salvation. But as we know, it is at this point in principle, it's a small beginning of the perfect sanctification and glory for which we look. Then we shall be fully children of God and dwell in the perfection of his fellowship. But that perfect salvation lies at the end of the way, at the end of the way of this present creation. And it is with a view to the end of that way and to the final possession of that perfect and full salvation in the day of the Lord that we groan. We long to possess that. And in order to comfort us in the way to that final salvation, the Lord has given us a twofold help. The pathway to that end is difficult, requires much patience and perseverance. It is the straight and narrow way of God's commandments, the way of sanctification, the way of denying ourselves, forsaking the world, crucifying our old nature. It is that pathway that leads to the glorious end. And to comfort and assure us in that way, the Lord gives us a living hope. Context speaks of it. We're saved by hope, even now. And hope also shows us the end, and it draws us toward that end, and it assures us that we shall receive it in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the Lord gives us also another help. He gives us the Holy Spirit. The spirit of the risen Lord, the spirit poured out into the church on the day of Pentecost. He gives us the spirit to pray for us in order that we may always receive those things which we truly need to preserve us even to the end. That's undoubtedly the meaning of the term likewise in our text. Likewise, the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. On the one hand, therefore, there is that hope which gives us assurance and expectation and which helps us in the way, but on the other hand, There is even more, there is the Holy Spirit who has been given to us to help our infirmities by praying for us. And it's in this light that we consider our text this evening under the theme, The Groaning of the Spirit. And we notice, first of all, the meaning, secondly, the reason, and finally, the comfort. Our text speaks of a groaning prayer of the Holy Spirit. The first question we face is, of course, what is the meaning, what is the character of this groan of the Spirit? There can be no doubt but that the Spirit who is mentioned here is Indeed, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, true God with the Father and the Son, co-equal and co-eternal with them. He with the Father and the Son lives the full divine life of God, possesses all the divine and infinite attributes of the one divine essence. It means that he as well as the father and the son is a person, a thinking, willing, choosing subject. Now this Holy Spirit was given to the church on the day of Pentecost. He is the spirit of the glorified and ascended Christ. Christ received that spirit when he ascended into heaven to be his spirit as He serves as the head of the church. And that spirit, he pours out as his spirit into his church upon the day of Pentecost. It is in the Holy Spirit, therefore, as the Spirit of Christ, that our Lord Jesus Christ dwells in his church and in the hearts of all his people and abides with us forever. By that Spirit, He also applies unto us all the riches of salvation which Christ has merited and obtained for His people. One of those blessings, according to our text, is that the Spirit prays for us. He makes intercession for us. Now there's two possibilities that we must consider in this connection. It's conceivable that here the apostle refers to a prayer of the Spirit that comes through us, so that we are conscious of that prayer and also utter it. But it's also possible that he refers to a prayer of the Holy Spirit, not through us, but for us. and in our behalf. The first explanation has it that this is indeed a prayer of the Spirit for us and in our behalf, but in such a way that the Spirit prays this prayer through our own consciousness, so that this prayer is also uttered by God's people, by us, and is a matter of our own experience. The other explanation maintains that this prayer of the Spirit never enters our mind, our consciousness. We are not aware of it, but that the Spirit, as he abides with us, dwells in our hearts, utters his prayer without our knowledge. The Spirit does not cause us to speak this prayer and to send it consciously to the throne of grace. On the contrary, the Spirit himself prays for us and in our behalf. These are the two possibilities. Either the Spirit is, as it were, almost dictating to us what we must say is behind our prayer and groan causes us to pray in harmony with God's will, or the Spirit prays within us but without our consciousness. He prays as our intercessor. It becomes plain that the latter is the proper interpretation here. The Spirit does not pray through us, but for us and in our behalf as our intercessor. And that's according to the text. Notice that if we hold to the former view that the Spirit simply teaches us how to pray, then after all, it is really the child of God and not the Spirit who does the praying and the groaning. But then you cannot distinguish between this groaning and the immediately preceding groaning of the children of God in verse 23. It's clear that in the words of our text, the apostle refers to a different groan from the groan of creation, as well as a different groan from the groan of the children of God themselves. This is the groan of the Holy Spirit himself. In close connection, notice that our text speaks distinctly of an intercessory prayer of the Spirit. In verse 26, we read very clearly that the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And in verse 27, the apostle tells us that God knows the mind of the Spirit. It doesn't say that God knows our minds, but the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. An intercessor, of course, stands as a distinct personality in between two other persons. In this case, between us and God. Therefore, when the text speaks in these terms of the prayer of the Holy Spirit as an intercessory prayer, it cannot mean a prayer through us, by ourselves. And finally, the prayer of the Holy Spirit which he prays from the depths of our hearts is evidently often, to one extent or another, in conflict with our prayers. Notice that our text tells us that we do not know what to pray for as we ought. Our prayers can, in part, be in error. And in such cases, the Spirit prays a different prayer with groanings that cannot be uttered. That wouldn't be true if the Holy Spirit continually taught us what we must pray for as we ought, then we'd know. And there would be no need of an intercessory prayer on the part of the Spirit. This prayer of the Spirit is therefore strictly intercessory in nature. The Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of Christ, dwells within our hearts and so makes his abode with us that he becomes acquainted with all our infirmities, he knows all our weaknesses, he helps us in our infirmities, bears us up under them, And as we in our sufferings and infirmities frequently utter prayers which are not in full accord with the will of God, and the fulfillment of which would no doubt be detrimental to our spiritual and eternal welfare, The Spirit places himself, as it were, between God and these hurtful aspects of our prayer. intercepts them, so to speak, so that they, in that form and with those contents, never reach the throne of grace. Instead of those foolish or carnal petitions, the Spirit, from the depths of our hearts, sends other petitions. The result is that the prayers which the Spirit sends to the throne of grace are not a matter of our conscious experience. We are not aware of His prayers consciously. Perhaps sometimes it may be the case that beneath our own prayers We may be conscious of certain affections that cause us to question, perhaps fear that our prayers are not quite right. And those affections might be interpreted as the groanings of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, These groanings for which there is no human language are not clear to us. We do not, we cannot express them and we do not understand their meaning. They are unutterable. So the spirit by means of groanings makes intercession. That it's by means of groanings indicates that his prayer is a deeply spiritual and earnest prayer. Groaning is the evidence of deep, fervent desire that surpasses the possibility of being expressed in words. Groaning is the expression of the grief of the Holy Spirit, which is due to the sin and carnality of the saints for whom he prays. Just think of that, beloved. The Spirit prays for you. He makes intercession for you. He prays with a view to your weaknesses, your infirmities, for there is still much of sin that remains in us. We are yet so weak, oftentimes, from a spiritual perspective, but the Spirit helpeth in our infirmities. So the prayer of the Spirit as he intercedes for us is the expression of the Spirit's deepest desire to God that we who are holy in principle yet sinners and therefore afflicted with many infirmities may yet attain to the perfection of holiness even in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have two intercessory prayers. We have two intercessors with the Father. On the one hand, the Holy Spirit within the depths of our hearts, who intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. On the other hand, The exalted Lord Christ and his intercessory prayer. He stands before the face of God constantly and prays for us in the house of many mansions. But though we can distinguish these intercessory prayers, we can never really separate them. Essentially, they are one. For the Spirit, remember, is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit whom Christ poured out on Pentecost. Through his Spirit, Christ dwells in us. And by the power of that Spirit, he renews our hearts and regenerates us by the power of that same spirit. He causes us to hear his word and know him and follow him. He calls us out of darkness into his marvelous light. He implants within our hearts a true and living faith and bestows upon us all the blessings of life and salvation. And when once by that Holy Spirit Christ has taken up his abode with us, he never leaves us. He never forsakes us. He dwells within our hearts unto all eternity. The indwelling Spirit, therefore, is the indwelling Christ himself. Though we may distinguish these prayers as to the place from which they are sent up to the throne of grace, they are nevertheless principally one and the same. Christ is our advocate with the Father in heaven. in the halls of many mansions. The Spirit is our advocate with us and in behalf of us in the depths of our hearts. Christ is our advocate and intercessor with the Father as our representative head. And as such, he pleads the cause of all that are the members of his body, those whom the Father has given him and for whom he laid down his life. To be sure, the Spirit, however, dwells in the hearts of every individual believer. He dwells in the entire body of Christ. First of all, he was poured out into the church. And therefore, every individual believer possesses that spirit only in organic relation with the whole of the body of Christ, with all the people of God. That means that no one can separate himself with impunity from the body of Christ and from the people of God as they are manifest here in this world. Nevertheless, he also dwells in the hearts of all the individual believers. And the result is that Christ, by His indwelling Spirit, becomes intimately acquainted with the needs of all His children. Think of that. Boggles the mind, does it not? Through the Spirit, Christ becomes intimately acquainted with all of our Real needs. That Spirit acquaints Himself with our condition, the condition of our heart and mind and life, with our position and situation in this world, with our enemies and the opposition we face, with all of our sufferings and tribulations, with all of our weaknesses and infirmities. And He sends prayers. groanings to the throne of grace that are the expression of our real needs and that very possibly may, to one extent or another, be in conflict at times with our own prayers. And so there's a beautiful harmony between the intercessory prayer of Christ in heaven and the intercessory prayer of his spirit in the depths of our hearts. And on the basis of these two intercessory prayers, which are essentially one and the same, we have the strong assurance. The prayer of Christ shall surely be fulfilled. Jesus prayed, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. But why? Why is this intercessory prayer of the Spirit so vital? Why is it necessary? According to our text, the reason is that we don't know what we should pray for as we ought. These words are really two elements. First of all, that we do not know what to pray for. And secondly, that we do not know how to pray. that we often cannot pray as we ought to pray. And the reason for this is evident. As we pointed out, our prayers are not always the expression of our real needs, but rather of our needs as we see them. That is to say of our desires rather than of our true needs. It's clear that we must certainly distinguish between our needs and our desires. Between that which we really need unto our salvation and everlasting life and our feelings and conception of our needs. Our prayers are often the expression of our personal desires. We by no means always see what we truly need. Real need is the want of something which we must actually have, the fulfillment and possession of which would be to our real spiritual benefit. But our desires, Our conception of our needs may not be and often is not in harmony with reality, with the way it really is. And our prayers are sometimes the result of our personal desires rather than of our true spiritual needs. It's a petition for the fulfillment of our needs as we imagine them to be. If we were only perfect and were only perfectly aware of our real needs, this wouldn't be an issue, there'd be no problem. In glory, one day, there will be no conflict between our desires and our needs. But as long as we are still here in this world, Imperfect, we don't always see our needs as they actually are. And not infrequently, we long and ask for something which would be to our detriment, our hurt, rather than to our real benefit and to our eternal salvation. That's very understandable, of course, when you think about it. We are still Worthy, we're often still children of this present life. And we fail to lift our eyes up and fix them in hope upon that glory that shall be revealed in us. The result is that we don't think so much of our eternal needs and of our real spiritual needs as we do of those temporal, earthly needs. And we pray for the fulfillment of those earthly needs, regardless of their bearing upon our spiritual welfare. We fail to consider our needs in the light of eternity. Think, for example, of being in a time of great suffering. We pray that we may be delivered from our pain and misery. Very possibly, the longing for deliverance wouldn't be the desired object if we could see it in light of our eternal life Think of grievous sickness or disease that attacks us and creates in us the longing for recovery that is, again, an immediate need and desire, a sincere desire that we may have. As far as we can see, the sooner we recover from our affliction, the better it is for us. Immediate recovery, in some instances, may well be detrimental to our spiritual life and to our eternal welfare. Think of a financial need and want, material adversity. we would be inclined to pray for relief, for prosperity, to be relieved of this financial burden. But it may very well be that at the present time, adversity is better for us for a while when viewed in the light of our eternal well-being. In close connection, It's also true that we are often too carnally minded. We're not only earthy, but we are yet sinful, of course, so that we are inclined to care little for spiritual things. And our priorities are not always what they should be. And consequently, we sometimes pray for material things, perhaps to our shame, even for sinful things. And the spiritual things, they're pushed off into the background. They occupy second place in our minds and hearts and in our prayers. Also, therefore, because we are yet sinful, there's often a conflict between our desires and our real and actual needs. And then, too, we're inclined to be self-centered, selfish. and pray for the fulfillment of our needs regardless of the question whether their fulfillment might perhaps be harmful to others and to God's kingdom in general. It may be that our suffering must be a testimony to those who are around us and unto their salvation, but often we don't give that a thought. We simply pray for recovery. It becomes plain then that we do not always know what we must pray for. There's often, to one extent or another, a conflict between our desires and prayers and our real needs. And therefore, It not infrequently happens that there is a conflict between the prayer of the Spirit in us and our own prayer. We pray for recovery, but the Spirit knows that immediate or swift recovery would be detrimental either to us personally or to others or to the cause of God's kingdom. And therefore, the Spirit prays, do not remove this affliction as yet. We might pray for prosperity, but the Spirit knows our needs better than we do, and therefore groans, oh, send this child of God some more adversity for a time. And so it also happens that it seems to us, from our perspective, as if our prayers are not heard and answered. The mother and father of a sick child may pray that their child may recover and live But it may be the case that the Spirit over and above that petition sends the request to the throne of grace, take this child, this precious jewel unto thyself now, into thy glory. To those parents, it may seem as if their prayer was not heard at all, as if there was no God in heaven to listen. But the fact is that he does listen. and fulfill their every need through the Spirit who dwells within them. What a beautiful example we have of this very thing in Scripture. With regard to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, in verses seven through nine, When the Apostle Paul speaks of his own suffering and distress due to what he calls the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan that buffeted him, at least three times, perhaps repeatedly, Paul had asked the Lord to remove that thorn in the flesh, whatever it may have been. But apparently, his prayer was not heard. Why not? Because undoubtedly the Spirit of Christ that dwelt within him sent another prayer to the throne of grace, asking the Lord that he might cause that thorn in the flesh to remain with Paul, lest he should become exalted, that is, proud. And having prayed again and again his own prayer, According to his own imagined need, the apostle finally learned to understand the answer of the Lord to him. We read, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. So often we do not know what to pray for as we ought. We don't know how we ought to pray. becomes very clear to us. If we take an honest look at ourselves, how ought we to pray in order that our prayers may be the manifestations of a life of true thankfulness to God? Our prayers ought always and only to proceed from a true and living faith They ought to be in full harmony with the will of God as revealed in the scriptures. They ought always to be ultimately to the glory of God, no matter what becomes of us in this present life. But how far short our prayers fall. How often do we not pray rather thoughtlessly? Carelessly, without really thinking of what we are doing. How often is it that we even pray mechanically? Uttering a few words that we've learned by heart while our thoughts are perhaps off in the world or at work. Or still worse, in the pleasures of this present time, how often is it that we bow before the throne of grace and pray while our heart is filled with doubt as to whether our Heavenly Father will really hear? How often are not our prayers tainted with sin and in some respects in conflict with the will of God as clearly revealed in the scriptures? Yes, beloved, we must confess that our prayers are very imperfect, to an extent even sinful. If they reached God and were heard by Him as they actually are, polluted with sin, surely we would be afraid to send our prayers to the throne of grace. We wouldn't dare to pray. We would be ashamed to come with our petitions before our holy and righteous Heavenly Father. Often our own prayers would be sufficient for our condemnation. Beloved, what a comfort it is then to know that also in this respect the Spirit helps our infirmities. that we may know that the Spirit of Christ is praying over and above our own prayers with groanings which cannot be uttered in human language. What a comfort to know that our prayers, as they are in themselves, are not always heard by the Father, for He knows the mind of the Spirit. We read, for he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. To understand this aspect of the text, we must remember what we've already said, that there are often two prayers rising at the same time from the mind and heart of the child of God. Of the one, he's conscious, his own petition. Of the other, he's not conscious. It is the unutterable prayer and groaning of the spirit within him. The one prayer is based on his own desires, the other upon his actual needs. The one would be detrimental to him if it were fulfilled, but the other would be to his actual spiritual and everlasting benefit and salvation. Which of these two will be heard? Thanks be to God, it is the one of the Spirit, Not our own prayer, why? Because God, who searcheth the hearts, knoweth. God knows. He distinguishes clearly between the two. He knows what is the mind of the spirit. And he also knows that what the spirit prays is by far the best for his children. Not only does he distinguish between the two, but he also approves and acknowledges the prayer of the Spirit. For the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, as we've seen. It is the Spirit of grace. It is the Spirit of reconciliation. The Spirit in whom we, as children of God, are considered spiritually perfect. The true children of God. adopted through the blood of Christ. Therefore, not our own prayer is considered, but the prayer of the Spirit is acknowledged and reckoned to be the true prayer of the child of God. That prayer, therefore, is heard and fulfilled because the Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. If that Spirit were not praying for us, often aspects of our prayers would not be in accordance with the will of God. The Spirit knows the will of God. He prays in perfect accordance with that will of God. He prays for the saints, not as if they were saints in themselves, for then this intercessory prayer of the Spirit wouldn't even be necessary. But we are saints in Christ, and in Him we are by faith. In Him, we are reckoned. Our holiness is not in ourselves, but in Christ Jesus, our Lord. He is our head, representing us with the Father. And as the Father considers us in Christ, We are perfectly righteous and holy. We are saints in the complete sense of that word. And because the Spirit prays for us, also our prayer is saintly. There are, therefore, not two representations of the saints with the Father. One through Christ, in whom we are holy, and another through our own prayers. But really, only one. For the Spirit maketh intercession for us saints, according to the will of God. And therefore, the prayers of the saints are always heard, but in the Holy Spirit. Again, what a tremendous comfort and encouragement this is for us. Think of what this means. Our prayers are always heard, for the Spirit of Christ always dwells with us. And although we are not always conscious of it, His prayer is always truly our prayer. It's true that our prayers are not always heard as we imagine they should be. Our will is not always fulfilled. And so we pray as Jesus has taught us to pray, thy will be done. But make no mistake, our prayers are answered, even as the Spirit of Christ that dwells in us intercedes for us. What a comfort, what an encouragement for us in prayer. Not our sinful prayers as such rise to the throne of grace, but they are all through the Spirit sanctified in Christ. That's a beautiful wonder of grace. We have two intercessors, and these two are one. Christ for us, with the Father in heaven, and Christ in us, through His Spirit in our hearts. Christ, through His Spirit, becomes intimately, yea, perfectly acquainted with all our real needs, and he sends them all to the throne of grace that they may be fulfilled unto our everlasting salvation. For God answers that prayer, and he does supply us with all that we need to help us in all our infirmities. And so we are led by the Spirit. that spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost. We are led in the way of grace until we shall arrive in God's eternal tabernacle, where we shall eternally praise and glorify his name. So let us pray. Pray without ceasing. thanking God for Pentecost. Amen. Most merciful and gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy Word, the encouragement we have in prayer by Thy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ who abides within us. And we pray, Father, so continue, even through his work within, to teach us to pray as we ought, and sanctify our prayers when they fall short, as they do, being tainted yet with sin. We thank thee for our intercessors. Our Lord Jesus Christ, even at thine own right hand, and his blessed spirit who abides within our hearts. So may thy name receive the glory and praise we ask it. In Jesus' name, amen.