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Question 9
Origen and Ambrosiaster emphasize that the Spirit intercedes “according to the will of God,” with “groanings that cannot be uttered”; how does this view of the Spirit’s intercession confront the assumption that prayer is mainly about getting God to endorse our plans?
Another way to ask: If the Spirit prays for us according to God’s will, how does that challenge the idea that prayer is mainly about getting God to approve our plans?

Direct Answer The transcript presents prayer as something we often do poorly, needing the Spirit to intercede beyond our words and desires. That confronts the idea that prayer is mainly getting God to sign off on our plans, because the Spirit intercedes “according to the will of God,” not ours.

Support from Transcript:

  • Romans 8 is quoted: “we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,” so “the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us.”
  • Bercot highlights: the Spirit intercedes “according to the will of God, not according to our will.”
  • Origen: the Spirit’s intercession is “not…with words, but with groanings…with unspeakable ones,” stressing mystery and depth beyond our agendas.
  • Bercot explains why: we see in a “hazy mirror” and therefore “often pray for the wrong things.”
  • Ambrosiaster: the Spirit prevents requests from happening “before the proper time or against God’s wishes.”
Discussion Follow-ups If the Spirit is correcting your prayers, what does that say about your certainty that your plan is best? How could your group pray in a way that welcomes God’s will rather than scripting His response?

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