For our next devotion series, I would like us to look at “Prayer and the Will of God”. In our text we find some very precious promises given to us by our Lord …. Rom 8:26a Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:
To begin our study, it is important for us to understand what is meant by the term “infirmities”. If we study the word that is translated “infirmity” we find it means “any area of weakness’. Normally, in the New Testament this word is used to describe a physical illness or affliction, but not always.
A few of the exceptions are:
1. In 1 Cor 15:43, we are told that our physical bodies were brought into existence in “in weakness”. In other words, our physical bodies are fallen susceptible to illness, limited in power, and capable of sin. In this sense our bodies are “infirmed” (or weak).
2. Also in 2 Cor 13:4, we are told that Christ was crucified in “weakness” (infirmity) but was resurrected by the power of God. In other words, Christ’s physical body was not eternal in nature, it was fleshly and human, it was capable of dying. It was “weak”. His crucifixion proved this.
3. Also, MANY times Paul uses the term in lists describing the many hindrances to the gospel that he faced. He could have been speaking about physical illnesses but, probably, he was referring to all the different weaknesses that his fallen flesh was exhibiting as he served the Lord.
When we are told that the Spirit “helpeth our infirmities” we are being given a promise that the Spirit will help us in any area of weakness we may experience in our service to the Lord. This would include physical illnesses but goes far beyond that. It would also include things such as struggling with sin, tiredness, lack of strength, inability to speak a foreign language, inability to understand a spiritual truth, the list is endless.
The other important word to understand is the word “helpeth”. This word involves two ideas… “to share” and “to relieve by participating”. To help us understand this idea, think of our weakness as a large heavy weight that is hindering our service and burdensome to bear. The Spirit will relieve us of the burden by sharing it with us.
In some cases, the Lord will graciously intervene in our lives and totally remove our weaknesses from us, but that is NOT what is being promised to us in this section of Scripture. Here, the promise is for a lessoning of our infirmities by accompanying us. When we experience weakness in service, we can count on the Lord being there for us, gracing us, sharing our burden and giving us the ability to continue to serve Him while still affected by these weaknesses.
Are we struggling in an area of service to which we are called? He is with us every step of the way and He will meet our every need if we only look to Him!
2Cor 4:8-16 (KJV) [We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you…For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day.
May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.
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