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.
Romans 8:27 KJV
We appreciate knowing that our names are lifted up in prayer by the saints of God. If you request prayer and the following week someone tells you, “I prayed for you every day last week” how does that make you feel? Valued? Special? Loved? Someone cared enough to remember your special need, whether it was financial or medical or spiritual, and they lifted up your name and need before God’s throne of grace. And because we know there’s power in prayer, we like to know that there are lots of people praying for us.
But one name stands out above all the rest. The name of Jesus.
- So whether you’ve got a dozen people praying for you…
- Or you’ve shared your request with only one friend…
- Or no one else knows what you’re going through, and you’re all alone as you petition God…
- Remember that Jesus is there beside you, lifting your name in prayer, bringing your petition to God, making intercession for you according to the will of God.
God searches the hearts of each and everyone of His children. He knows what’s in them – pride, selfishness, envy, bitterness or love, compassion, a caring spirit, an obedient heart. God not only knows what’s in our hearts, but He also knows what we need to make us more like His Son. Therefore, His Holy Spirit makes “intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Intercession is to intervene on behalf of another. In other words, if you are a child of God, Jesus prays for you. And His prayers always align with God’s will for your life.
I John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Now if Jesus petitions God on your behalf, and He always prays according to the will of God, then His prayers are always answered.
Now our prayers don’t always align with God’s will. So we don’t always get what we want or think we need. But since Jesus’ prayers for us always align with God’s will, God always gives us what we truly need. For example, we might think we need more money to pay a bill when we actually need to learn how to manage our finances better. We might think we need more authority in the workplace when we actually need to learn to humble ourselves. Jesus knows the mind of the Spirit, so He is able to pray for us in accordance with God’s will.
However, Philippians 2:5 tells us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
God expects us to have the mind of Christ, and that only comes from spending time in His word. If you have the mind of Christ, you will know the mind of the Spirit, and you also will pray according to the will of God. And when you pray according to the will of God, you can be assured that God will hear your prayers and answer them.