When We Can't Pray

"Romans 8 teaches us that believers have two intercessors, the Holy Spirit and Christ. Christ performs his intercessory task in Heaven . . . ; the Holy Spirit, on Earth. Christ's intercerssion takes place outside of us, the Holy Spirit's within us; that is, in our very hearts. . . Christ prays that the merits of his redemptive work may be fully applied to those who trust in him. The Holy Spirit prays that the deeply hidden needs of our hearts, needs which we ourselves sometimes do not even recognize, may be met. Christ's intercession may be compared with that of a father, the head of the family, for all the family members. The Holy Spirit's intercession reminds us rather of a mother kneeling at the bedside of her ailing child, and in her prayer presenting that child's needs to the heavenly Father."-William Hendrikson, Romans, 277.