There are moments in our lives when we're too weary to worship. Times when it's hard to sing, hard to believe, and difficult to lean on what we know to be true from Scripture. Sometimes we're too empty to pray, too confused to make sense of what God is doing.
What do we do in those moments? Paul teaches us something profound: we're not supposed to live as though we are weakness-free. When our weaknesses are revealed, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives.
Who is the Holy Spirit and Why Does He Matter?

We serve a trinitarian God—God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we forget about this third person of the Trinity. Jesus told His disciples before ascending to heaven, "I'm not leaving you as orphans." He said it was good that He was going because He would send a helper—the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit's role is to help us. As believers, we need to admit things in our hearts and lives when they come up because God moves not just in our strengths but in our weaknesses. In fact, God often does more work for our good in our weaknesses than in our strengths.

Why Does God Use Our Weaknesses?

It's easy to believe God in our strength when things are going well. But what about the things we hide from God and others? The painful situations that hurt us from the inside out?

Paul says that when those groanings happen, when painful moments occur, when situations of weakness come forth, we should allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come into those moments and do what only He can do.
We cannot carry the burdens of this life alone. God did not create us to hold our weaknesses. When we enter places of weakness in our lives, we need to let God build us up spiritually, not just physically and mentally.
How Does the Holy Spirit Work in Our Weaknesses?

God is a spiritual God, and the things He does are beyond our reason, understanding, and comprehension. Even though we can't fully understand, we need to trust that He knows what He's doing.
The Father, Son, and Spirit all work together not just for our good but for God's purpose. What matters most to God is His purposes being fulfilled in our lives. We need to allow God into our lives so He can work His purposes out in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit can begin to go to dark places inside us and do things we cannot do ourselves. Just as counselors will tell you that you can't work on issues until you bring them from darkness into light, the Holy Spirit counsels us and advocates for us.
What Does the Bible Say About the Holy Spirit's Role?

Paul explains plainly that God the Father has a role, Jesus the Son has a role, and the Holy Spirit has a role. All three come together to fulfill God's purpose in your life if you allow them in.
Last week, we talked about how all creation, including us, groans for the reality of what used to be in the Garden of Eden—where things were perfect. One day, Jesus will make a new heaven and a new earth where there will be no more funerals, tears, or cancer diagnoses.
But while things aren't perfect, Paul says we have the Holy Spirit. We don't have to just hope for our weaknesses to go away. God has given us a bit of perfection in our hearts and lives today through the Holy Spirit, who begins to do things we cannot do on our own.

What Happens When We Can't Pray?

Paul admits the reality that there are moments when we can't pray. When we can't take a step forward, when we can't believe God anymore, in those raw, authentic moments, we can lean on the Holy Spirit who lives inside us as believers. He will pray on our behalf in words and utterances that we don't understand.
As Paul writes in Romans 8:26-27: "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will."

How Does the Holy Spirit Help Us Carry Our Burdens?

In the original Greek text, Paul uses a word that literally means the Holy Spirit "takes hold of life with us." When the burden of life pushes us down, and we allow the Holy Spirit to come in, He helps us lift up the weight so we can stand straight and face life.
Many believers are weighed down by life, claiming they're joyful in the Lord when they're actually struggling. The truth is there is joy in suffering and healing in the midst of pain because the Holy Spirit sets us free in those moments—not from the situation, but from the weight of that situation.

Jesus said in John 16 that it was best for Him to go to heaven because then He would send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Jesus' help for us in this burden-filled, chaotic life that we cannot predict.

How Do We Receive the Holy Spirit?

Receiving the Holy Spirit is simple—through faith in Jesus. You can simply say, "Jesus, if the Holy Spirit is real, if the Holy Spirit is a gift, help me to hear His voice."
The Holy Spirit isn't confined to Sunday morning worship. Our entire life is supposed to be a life of worship. We've often put church into a box on Sunday mornings and taken the Holy Spirit out of the box of our daily lives. But the truth is, the Holy Spirit refuels us every single day.

Life Application

This week, I challenge you to identify an area of weakness in your life—something you've been trying to handle on your own. Instead of hiding it or struggling through it alone, intentionally invite the Holy Spirit into that situation.

Ask yourself:

• What weakness am I currently trying to manage on my own?
• How might my perspective change if I viewed this weakness as an opportunity for God to work rather than something to overcome by myself?
• What would it look like to practically surrender this area to the Holy Spirit's guidance and power?

Remember, God doesn't just work through your strengths—He often does His most significant work through your weaknesses. The Holy Spirit is ready to help carry your burdens, pray when you have no words, and transform your weaknesses into opportunities for God's purposes to be fulfilled in your life.