Together in Christ: 'The Universal Translator: The Holy Spirit and Prayer' — Romans 8:26-27

I remember in the old "Star Trek" days when the Universal Translator ("UT") made communication between people of different languages and planets possible. While a "UT" seemed to be a dream beyond our expectations at that time (long before translation apps), followers of Christ have always had their own "UT" in their relationship with God. Our "UT" is the Holy Spirit.

On the first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection, Jesus gave birth to His church by pouring out the Holy Spirit on His disciples ^[1] and giving the Holy Spirit as the indwelling gift of God's presence to all who believed and were baptized. ^[2] Even though there were people from many nations present that day, the Spirit enabled everyone to hear the message of Jesus in their own language. ^[3]

Our verses for today remind us that the Spirit works as our "UT" today, too. The Holy Spirit works in and for us by making our hearts' desires and emotions known to our Father in heaven. We don't have to worry whether our requests to the Father are heard, understood, or appropriate. The Spirit intercedes for us, making the unutterable groanings of our hearts known to God. Even when we don't have the right words to say, the Spirit speaks to the Father on our behalf. In addition, the Holy Spirit's pleadings for us are made with words aligned with the Father's will. Because of the Spirit's presence within us, we can know with certainty that we are heard and loved by the Father.

These truths about the Spirit's work in our lives should reassure us of our preciousness to God. We can be confident the Father hears us — not just our words, but also our emotions, conveying our yearnings that are too deep for our words to capture. Because God the Spirit lives in us, we can have confidence that God is with us, hears us, and loves us!