God's Holy Fire: 'The Father Knows Our Hearts'

After the incredible promise of the previous verse and the Spirit's intercession for us (Romans 8:26 ESV), Paul adds promise upon promise. He tells us that the Spirit of the one true and living God pleads for us "with groanings too deep for words." He then adds that the Spirit pleads for us in harmony with the Father's will. Like being unable to explain how Jesus was both fully God and fully human when he walked this earth, I do not know how to fully explain the beauty and wonder of this truth about the Spirit's intercession for us. The Father knows our hearts. The Spirit pleads for us. The Spirit's pleadings and intercession are done in harmony with the will of God. My human brain can't capture all that these truths mean. However, I take comfort in knowing that God loves us in such high and holy ways and yet lives within us in a holy nearness that defies explanation. Sometimes, I believe, we are meant to be lost in the wonder of such grace and not try to dissect it. This grace is to be claimed at all times, including when our hearts are breaking, our minds are confused, and our lives are hard. The Comforter is near. He knows and pleads our deepest longings and aligns them to the will of a loving and knowing Father.