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 (Romans 8:14-16, KJV)
So here, coming out of all this legalism is coming the consciousness – the Holy Spirit is showing me – the contrast between the legalism that condemns the sinner, and the living witness of the Holy Spirit in us, in our spirit, that we are the children of God! And, vv17-18, ‘if we’re children, then we’re heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ... And the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that will be revealed...’ Yes, it is true, the sufferings of this world are not to be compared with the Glory that is to come. This is a phenomenal comfort in difficult times! Whatever you are suffering, losing loved ones, persecution, whatever it is, it cannot compare to the Glory which will be revealed. But for me, facing losing my voice, this still didn’t give me an answer!
Yes, vv19-25, creation earnestly waits for the manifestation of the sons of God! We don’t yet see the fulfilment of our sonship, that will be revealed when Christ comes back to take us into the Kingdom, and the creature – you and I – shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God – that’s our complete salvation which is still to come... For the whole of creation groans and travails in pain until now, we are waiting for the redemption of our body – for we are saved by hope. Hope that is seen is not hope, for why would a man hope for what he can see? Faith, like hope, is in the unseen. When we’re working for God, when we’re praying, when you’re seeking for healing as I was in 1964, our hope is not in what we can see, in my case that I was going to lose my voice from throat cancer, our hope is in God and in the unseen! But I still did not have my answer, Yes or No.
Then I came to v26, ‘Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought’ – suddenly the Holy Spirit is beginning to reveal something to me which I had not realised before! Here it says, the Spirit helps our weaknesses, for when we don’t know what to pray for correctly, the Holy Spirit Himself makes intercession on our behalf, with groanings that cannot be uttered! There comes a time when the Spirit within us, who is transforming us, helps us! This thought echoed in me, because I didn’t know, should I pray for healing, and leave my church, or should I pray that I would stay in England? I was so torn between the two, I didn’t know which to pray for! But now I’m understanding, that the Holy Spirit was helping me when I didn’t know, or understand, how to pray!
Because now in v27, ‘He that searches the hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit!’ Here is the direct involvement and action of Jesus Himself, who searches our hearts, and knows our hearts, and at the same time, He knows and understands the mind of the Holy Spirit! Do you understand how powerful this is? Christ knows our thoughts, knows our desires, and at the same time He knows the desire and will of the Holy Spirit! It’s only now, in 2021, as I’m talking about what happened in 1964, that I’m seeing and understanding the involvement of the two parts of the Godhead, so that the Christ in me knows what the Holy Spirit wants! Because He, Christ, makes intercession for me according to the WILL OF GOD! Our Intercessor is Christ, He ever lives to make intercession for us at the right hand of God – v34! He’s in Heaven, before the Father, making intercession for us, because He has in His Body the marks of His death, the visible evidence of the atonement of our sins, He is our Intercessor, making intercession according to the WILL OF GOD! This is an incredible thing! When I read this in 1964, I leapt up off my seat, jumped up in the air and I said, “That’s it! I’m healed! It’s the Will of God!” Because I KNEW that, as I was in prayer, Jesus was making intercession for me, not according to my prayers, but up there He was praying for me according to the WILL OF GOD! So the outcome of my prayers would be – the WILL OF GOD!