I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men… (I Timothy 2:1 – KJV)

We must realize that there are different kinds of prayer, each governed by its own set of spiritual principles. Some of these principles are common to all of the varieties of prayer. But there are some principles that are unique to each type of prayer. For a specific prayer to be the most effective, it must be prayed according to the principles, both common and unique, that relate to it. The Apostle Paul exhorted his son Timothy to involve several of the types of prayer on behalf of “all men.” A. T. Robertson notes that, “The scope of prayer is universal including all kinds of sinners (and saints).” In other words, we are to make intercession for all kinds of people, not just selected ones that “fit” our mold. There is nobody beyond the Power of Jesus’ Blood, and thus, there is nobody that is to be beyond the scope of our prayer. Of course we cannot pray for all seven billion people on earth as individuals. But as we are open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we may indeed be specifically led to pray for individuals or situations that we might not have prayed for otherwise.

One of the specific types of prayer is the prayer of intercession. Probably the simplest definition of “intercession” is “to stand in the place of another,” though actually functioning in Holy Spirit directed intercession goes far deeper than those words will convey to most folks. There is a realm in prayer that many if not most professing Christians never actually enter into, primarily because they’ve never been adequately taught the art of effective prayer.

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. (Romans 8:26)

When I read this passage as a young believer, I recognized that there were situations for which I honestly did not know what to pray. Notice that Paul is NOT merely saying, “When we don’t know HOW to pray,” although that certainly would be included. What he says is, “When we don’t know WHAT to pray for, as we ought.” When we pray in faith, in alignment with what the Word of God already declares to be the Will of God for His people, then we can have confidence that God has both heard and answered (I John 5:14-15). But there are times that we, or others that we know, face situations that are not clearly defined in Scripture. In these cases, for example where personal guidance and direction are concerned, we may not know for certain exactly WHAT we should pray for. And even in situations that we KNOW God’s Will for the ultimate outcome from His Written Word, we may not humanly know the “means” by which He will accomplish His Kingdom Purpose. Thus, we often face times when we may not know specifically WHAT to pray for as we ought. At those times, we are to pray the Word of God as it applies, citing specific Scriptures in our petition before the Throne of God (Hebrews 4:16). Then, when we have prayed according to God’s Word to the extent of our faith, we present ourselves to the Holy Spirit to take us beyond our human limitations by His activity on our behalf.

The Greek word translated “helpeth” is the word transliterated “sunantilambanetai.” The prefix “sun-” indicates “together.” “-anti-” points to “against, or instead of.” And “lambano” refers to “taking hold.” The word translated “infirmities” is transliterated “astheneia,” depending on whether the variant your are reading presents the word as singular or plural. This word can be understood as “weakness, infirmity, or inability to produce results.” Thus Paul instructs us that there is a realm in prayer where the Holy Spirit takes hold with us against our weakness and inability to produce results. Sadly, too many Christians only pray “earth to Heaven” prayers. When we pray into that higher realm, the Holy Spirit lifts us above our own human limitations, and enables us to pray in alignment with the perfect Will of God. Then we begin to pray, not merely “earth to Heaven,” but rather “Heaven to earth!” Be Blessed!