There is often a gap between what we want from life and what we get in life. And during such times of weakness “we do not know what to pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26 NKJV). What should the cancer patient request—healing, or deliverance into heaven? For what should the father of the prodigal pray—God’s patience for his son, or a pigpen for his son? For what should the persecuted prisoner ask—release from captivity, or endurance in captivity?

We do not know how to pray as we ought. What if our prayers are too sparse to deserve an audience with God? What if he turns us away? Does heaven hear the enfeebled prayers of a weary soul? Thanks to our heavenly helper the answer is yes. “The Spirit himself intercedes for us” (Romans 8:26 NIV).

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“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us…” (Romans 8:26 NIV).

The groans of the heart. You have heard them. You have made them. They are the vernacular of pain, the chosen tongue of despair. When prayers won’t come, these will have to do. Yet these raw appeals find their way into the presence of God the Father because they are entrusted into the care of the Holy Spirit.

We’re accustomed to the Holy Spirit’s mighty deeds: fire falling on Peter, doors opening for Paul. Because of the Spirit, Ezekiel saw dead bones rise, and Moses saw the Red Sea open. Yet of equal import is this: the Spirit curates and translates the incoherent prayers of the weak until they are heard in the tribunal of heaven.

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“‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6 NASB).

Jesus invites us to hoist the sail. Rowboat Christianity exhausts and frustrates. Those who attempt it are left depleted and desperate at the attempt. Those who let the Spirit do the work find a fresh power. Life still has storms, but they are not left to face the fury on their own.

The work of salvation is done. Can I urge you, if you have not done so already, to believe on him whom God has sent? Trust Jesus to do the work that only he can do. Rely upon the Holy Spirit to quicken within you a new spirit, a new creation. Come to him in the light of a new day, in the power of a new you.

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The Spirit is like the wind. Had Jesus stopped with this comment, Nicodemus would have had plenty to ponder. Yet Jesus went on to stretch the imagination of Nick and Max and all people who have tried to quarry the jewels that follow. “So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 ESV). That which is born of a vegetable is a vegetable. That which is born of a dog is a dog. And that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

That is to say, we have his wind, his unseen power, within us. We host the mystery and majesty of God. Stop and think about something you struggle to do. Forgiving an enemy? Solving a problem? Breaking a habit? You can’t do it? The Spirit can, and you have the force of heaven’s wind within you.

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The Spirit is wholly holy and unlike any being in our world, which is such good news! We need a source of strength that is unbuffeted by that which buffets us, undisturbed by that which disturbs us, untethered to whatever ties us down. The Spirit is not subject to weather patterns, aging bodies, pandemics, stock market swings, or despots. He has never been sick. He will never be afraid. He does not worry, strive, or struggle. He is the Holy Spirit.

“The wind blows where it wishes…” (John 3:8 ESV). In like manner, the Holy Spirit answers to no government or organization. Mighty enough to clear a path, he can break down walls of prejudice and subdue the most stubborn heart. Yet gentle. A roaring wind at Pentecost. A still, small voice at Mount Horeb.

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On one side, Nicodemus, representing all well-meaning, God-fearing, scripture-memorizing folk. On the other, Jesus Christ. And what the latter says to the former is so uncanny that it sends shock waves through church pews and synagogues to this very day. “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:5-6 NLT).

The phrase “Kingdom of God” refers to a relationship with God in this life and entrance into heaven in the next. How do we receive citizenship? Be born again. In our first birth we become brand-new humans. In our second birth we become brand-new creations. And who oversees our second birth? The Holy Spirit!

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“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV). Make it your aim to walk in the Spirit by inviting him into the details of each day. Let this prayer be quick to come to your mind: “How am I to respond to this challenge, Lord?” Or, “Direct me, please. Which way should I go?” Pause and listen. Keep an ear inclined toward the Spirit.

For us not to consult the Spirit of God would be foolish. He is here to teach us, and our privilege is to stay in mindful communion with him. Day by day, moment by moment. Listen as the divine instructor whispers wonders in your ear. And be assured that, as you smile, the Spirit smiles with you. After all, he is your teacher.

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I recall an afternoon early in my ministry when the invitation of Jesus to the weary became the invitation of Jesus to Max. I was supposed to be studying, but I could not concentrate. I thought that I had to fix everyone’s problems, shoulder everyone’s burdens, and never grow weary in doing so. After some moments I bowed my head and sighed, and this scripture came to mind: “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NASB).

It was the pronoun me that got me. I had been turning to everyone and everything but him. Now why did that verse come to mind? Simple—the Holy Spirit, my teacher, reminded me. And the Spirit of Christ will do this for you, my friend.

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The Holy Spirit has a specific, overarching mission. His task is to teach us about Jesus. The apostle Paul echoed this point. “No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it—What God has arranged for those who love him. But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 MSG).

The world religions look to the teachings of their now-dead founders: Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius. Christians, however, hold to this inscrutable and beautiful promise: our teacher not only spoke, but he speaks. His wisdom is not confined to an ancient document but is a part of the day-to-day curriculum of our mentor, the Holy Spirit.

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Jesus doesn’t want us to think of the Holy Spirit as an it or a thing. The Spirit is a person. According to one study only four people in ten believe that the Spirit is a divine person. The rest of those surveyed either don’t have an opinion or choose to believe the Spirit is more like a power surge than a divine being who empowers and teaches us.

Can you join me in a pledge? “I hereby resolve never to call the Holy Spirit an it.” The Spirit is a person. And Jesus calls him the Paraclete. Now translators land on different, yet similar, translations for this Greek word: Comforter, Counselor, Advocate, Intercessor. But the central message is the same—we are not alone.

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