Charles Spurgeon Commentary Romans 8:27

"and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God." — Romans 8:27 (ASV)

Because he maketh intercession for (or, in) the saints according to the will of God.

Whatever the Spirit of God prompts us to pray for, is according to the mind of God, for it is not possible that the Holy Spirit should ever be otherwise than in perfect accord with the Divine Father. The eternal decrees, if we could read them, would convey to us the same truth as the impulses of the Spirit in our heart. And this is the true exploration of prayer: that what God intends to do, his Spirit leads his people to ask him to do; and thus there is no conflict between the eternal predestination of God and the earnest entreaties of his people. They are, in fact, the outcome of that very predestination.

And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit,

When you do not know your own mind, God knows the mind of the Spirit, and that is the very essence of prayer. He knows what is the mind of the Spirit, –

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

That is the philosophy of prayer. Whatever God's will is, the Spirit of God writes it on the hearts of praying saints, and they pray for the very thing which God intends to give. As the barometer often foretells the weather that is coming, so the spirit of prayer in the Christian is the barometer which indicates when showers of blessing are coming. It is well with us when we can pray. If we cannot do anything else, if we feel that we can pray, times are not so bad with us as we might think.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

When we ourselves hardly know the mind of the Spirit, He that searches all hearts knows it.

When we feel as if we could not pray, yet the Spirit of God makes intercession in us, and the great Father reads the purport of the intercessions, and blesses us, not according to our knowledge of our own prayer, but according to His knowledge of what the Spirit means by those prayers.

Have you never noticed that holy men of old sometimes spoke much greater things than they themselves realized, for the Spirit of God in them spoke through them more than they themselves understood?

And I believe that it is so in prayer.

Oh! Often the groaning, wrestling believer may have no inkling of the full purport of his own prayer, but he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

That is, when the mind lies still, God the Holy Spirit writes His will upon it, and also writes God’s will. Hence such prayers are sure to be effectual, for they are but the shadow of God’s secret purpose falling upon the soul as a kind of prelude to the coming fulfillment of that purpose. Saints’ prayers are prophets of God’s mercies. We are sure of it; we have no doubt whatever; we know it by experience, as well as by revelation.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Nor is it only the Holy Spirit who is thus helping us onward towards the grand finale.

And he that searched the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

The Spirit knows what we want. God knows: what the Spirit is asking for; and so our prayer makes the complete round, and God sends us the blessing.

And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

That is the whole process of prayer. The Spirit of God knows the will of the Father, and he comes and writes it on our hearts. A true prayer is the revelation of the Spirit of God to our heart, making us desire what God has appointed to give to us.

Hence the success of prayer is no difficulty to the predestinarian. Some foolishly say, "If God has ordained everything, what is the use of praying?"

If God had not ordained everything, there would be no use in praying; but prayer is the shadow of the coming mercy which falls across the spirit, and we become in prayer in some degree gifted like the seers of old. The spirit of prophecy is upon the man who knows how to pray; the Spirit of God has moved him to ask for what God is about to give.

And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

It cannot be supposed that the Father does not know what is the mind of the Spirit, since they are one God, and, moreover, because the Spirit of God never intercedes for anything that is not according to God's will, we are sure that our heavenly Father will grant every prayer inspired by the Spirit.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

This explains what to many is the mystery of prayer. The Holy Spirit, being himself God, knows the secret purposes of the divine will, and therefore moves the saints to pray in accordance with that will, and makes their supplications effectual through his own prevailing intercession.