Intercessory Prayer
 

Have you experienced the type of intercessary prayer as expressed in Romans 8:26, and if so, how would you described it?

Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[g] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28

Re: Intercessory Prayer
 

This passage for me was always a description of a person praying from a position of "weakness," in some kind of trouble, and how their "groanings" are really coming from Spirit, which aids them at that time. I would liken the feeling afterward as being related to...the physical relief from crying, maybe, but on a more spiritual level.

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I've prayed for people til I started crying. I dunno if that's anything like it.

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I know the passage, I have sometimes thought that I might be close, but I have never been sure. However, I have known some who prayed in that way. When they would start getting to the point that words were no longer coming forth, but they were bent wailing, you could be sure that the Spirit was going to move in a mighty way. Those are memories that are with me to this day.

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You just don't see that much anymore.

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This is true. I believe that in order to see the moving of the Spirit that our ancestors saw, we must learn to pray like our ancestors prayed.

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Not sure I want to share this here. I sent you a PM Amanah

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I understand often times this kind of prayer is called "wailing" or "travailing".

I have "wailed"/"travailed" once, while I was fasting for a long period of time. I know some people who "travail" regularly. Not me. Not a gift I aspire to have. That ONE time I though I felt like I was accomplishing something and didn't want to stop until I felt that it was accomplished. I've been on the virge lately, being that I've been on my knees every night in intercession for an extended family member of mine.

I know some people have said they've gotten so deep that they've felt what was like labor pangs, sweating blood, and some other strange manifestations. Never felt or seen anything like that, but I've heard of it.

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It is a shame. There used to be a lot of people who'd stay on their face and wail and travail.

It's hard to find people who will stay on their face and pray for an extended period of time period much less travail.

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The ladies who did it while I was growing up were in the 70s-80s. There were a few in their 50s who would reach that level of prayer, but it does seem to be a dying art (for lack of a better term). I know that I have gotten close to this myself on a rare occasion, but for some reason us guys do not do as well here as women. However, I have had stomach pain from where I was clenched so tight in desperate prayer. I never heard the sweating blood, but I have heard of intense pain that occasionally followed a desperate time of prayer. May God bring it back among His people.

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Everything flows out of the belly. Speaking in tongues flows out of the belly. Peace and joy flow out of the belly.

I was a teenager when I first travailed. I heard the word TRAVAIL often, but nobody ever described it. I was kneeling in prayer. I was speaking in tongues and then I felt contractions in my belly. That went on for several minutes. I was weeping. There was a thick presence of God.

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My experience was free of pain.

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I have no doubt that it will vary from person to person, and possibly from time to time. I have heard of those who spent hours and prayer, and they said that it hurt. I know that the once or twice I was close, I had discomfort for a number of minutes after.

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My Mom prayed like that, a lot. I have prayed like that a few times.

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No offense intended to anyone, but I am a bit skeptical about people claiming to pray "with groanings which cannot be uttered" while they are moaning and wailing etc. Not that wailing or moaning would be bad. But, by definition it is excluded from being the "groanings which cannot be uttered" - it IS in fact being uttered...

Is the verse not clearly saying that the "Spirit" makes the intercession?

Romans 8:26
King James Version (KJV)
26Likewise 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.

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Oh, you read the verse. Lol

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Yes, you have divined the line where a stressed, prayerful groan that the Spirit carries your real need in has become a display.

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“Prayer,” by Verbal Bean, 1991

Verbal Bean on Intercession:

Intercession is the deepest prayer you can pray. When you have received the spirit of intercession, you’re as far into that inner court of talking to God that you’ll ever get. You have arrived at the holy place. There is no such a thing as a deeper, more intense communion, between your soul and your God than intercession.

Generally, intercession is with great groaning. It is as what Paul said, “Groaning that can not be uttered.” It is the despair of the soul. It’s a time when it seems like you must have the answer or die. Intercession is that type of praying that takes physical strength. Most people don’t even know what intercessory prayer is. (Page 19)

I usually look for the intercessors when I go preach a revival. I look to see if God has one in that church, and thoroughly encourage him, because I have seen them save a service.

One particular place I was at, there was a little woman that was the intercessor in that revival. I saw the service tie up, and things were not moving, and I’d glance over at her and there she’d be getting drawn into knots, physically. I’ve seen her literally fall over on the seat with groaning that cannot be uttered. It wouldn’t be but a few minutes until things started breaking, and happening, because she went into the inner sanctuary with God . . .

It requires that you are going to allow your soul to become lead and directed in prayer. You cannot be your own, because at three o clock in the morning the Spirit may bid you, and you can’t say that you’re sleepy, or, you prayed at nine, because intercession means “I’ve got to have it now!” . . . (Page 20)

You’ll never be used in intercession if you haven’t been consistent in living for God. If your life is not consistently faithful, you’ll never know this spirit of intercession, because He’s got to know you before He’ll trust you to go that far. (Page 21)

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I love reading Bro. Bean's books. They always have something that I need.

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I have a tape of his preaching somewhere, but it would require some digging to find it, and I'd have to find a tape player somewhere, to hard atm.

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I know that trying to listen to his tapes is very difficult because of the quality at the time.

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yes, I found one of his tapes and some others that are hard preaching, they are hard to listen to for more then one reason, but they will shake you:

Ye shall seek me, Rev V Bean
What it cost to be a saviour, A. Mangun
Secret Chamber of Prayer, Bro Mena
Hell is still a place, Bro Mangun
Prisoners of Hope, Bro Mark Hamby
What prayer can do, Dwight Thompson (not a oneness preacher, but this tape will level you to your knees, guaranteed)

none of the above are for the faint hearted, hehe

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That message by Bro. Bean shook me when I read it. I wanted to weep aloud at the words. You are right, that one is not an easy message. However, it was needful, and still is.

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It depends on what the writer intended for us to interpret the word for "cannot be uttered" to mean.

"Uttered" as in "voiced" or "heard"? Or "uttered" as in "expressed in words"?

Not to "over-analyze" this... but here's the definition of utter:

ut·ter 1 (tr)
tr.v. ut·tered, ut·ter·ing, ut·ters
1. To send forth with the voice: uttered a cry.
2. To articulate (words); pronounce or speak. See Synonyms at vent1.
3. Law To put (counterfeit money, for example) into circulation.
4. To publish (a book, for example).
5. Obsolete To sell or deliver (merchandise) in trading.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/uttered

Go by definition #2 and your point has a problem.

Could Paul have been suggesting that these "groanings" couldn't be voiced through the mouths of humans and heard by human ears?

Or was he suggesting that these groanings couldn't be articulated in words spoken of by human language?

Taking a common sense approach, I'd say the later of those two options is the best interpretation. Why?

We can assume that the Holy Spirit is somewhere groaning on our behalf in a way that no man can hear or groan himself, and that Paul knew this by divine revelation (because how else would he know if nobody has heard these groanings before?).

I think that's a big leap to make. Especially in light of the fact that this is not even the foundation upon which those who travail base their experience off in scripture:

“Verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” John 16:20-22

There are examples of individuals in the Bible who travailed.

Paul travailed in Galatians 4:19.

Hannah in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 1:10.

Jesus travailed twice in the scripture. Once when Lazarus Died:

“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.” John 11:32-44

Then of course there was the Garden of Gethsemane experience in Luke 22:41-44.

Also consider:
"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:11-12

This form of prayer is very scriptural. It serves a purpose and that purpose is explained fully in Romans 8:26.